The Travelers Chronicles
by Alaena F. Dragonstar
Summary: It started when the gem changed shape instead of color, and it just went downhill from there. Now they're stuck chasing the thing across worlds in the hopes that it will lead them home. -World 11: Bleach- :KaiShin:
1. Of Worlds and Realms

**A.N**: I've never written something this long so quickly!

Disclaimer: I don't own DCMK or YGO.

**NOTES**:

**Chapters**: Each chapter will be a different crossover, but they are all connected. Think about it as a series of chronologically related one-shots. So each chapter will be its own story.

* * *

**The Travelers Chronicles**

1: Of Worlds and Realms

(World 1: Yu-Gi-Oh)

When Shinichi opened his eyes to find a huge, green dragon looming over him the first thought that crossed his mind was that dragons were a lot bigger in real life than stories could ever make them sound. The second thought that followed was that dragons didn't exist and this had to be KID's fault because making people think creatures like dragons did exist was just the kind of thing the magician would cook up. That and even Shinichi's life wasn't crazy enough to produce this kind of mirage without outside help. Then the dragon roared loud enough to make the air itself vibrate and bright, blinding light burst forth from its open jaws to blast straight towards the detective.

At that point Shinichi knew something had to be wrong because mirages didn't make the ground shake and he flung up his arms in a vain attempt to shield himself, hoping like hell that it would be over quickly because being fried alive by a mythological beast wasn't something anyone wanted time to contemplate.

The pain never came. Instead he heard a startled shout and the sound of running feet.

"Are you all right?" a female voice asked anxiously. "I'm so sorry, I didn't see you there. You didn't hurt yourself falling did you?"

Blinking open his eyes, Shinichi found himself looking up at two teenagers. The blond haired boy was eyeing him with obvious curiosity while the black haired girl wore an expression of concern. They both had what appeared to be playing cards in their hands and identical, mechanical . . ._somethings_ on their left arms.

With an effort, Shinichi pulled himself back together and clambered back onto his feet. "It's all right, I'm okay—just a bit surprised is all." Boy wasn't that an understatement. A hurried glance around the wide, grassy field revealed that the dragon had disappeared. "Where did it go?"

The two strangers traded looks before the blonde spoke. "Where'd what go?"

"The dragon," Shinichi clarified, the word stumbling out of his mouth like an ungainly fledgling. He couldn't believe he'd just asked that—and judging from the odd looks he was now getting his two companions couldn't either. "You . . .did see it, right?" The question emerged carrying the tiniest hints of dread. The last thing he needed was to start seeing mythical animals no one else could.

"Uh, of course we saw it," the blonde said as though there was nothing at all strange about either the question or his answer. "I mean, we _were_ in the middle of a duel. Were you runnin' with yer eyes closed or something?"

"No, of course I wasn't," the detective huffed, slightly offended. What kind of a stupid question was that to ask someone? Then he frowned. "Duel?"

"You know, Duel Monsters," the girl piped in, eyeing him as though he was some kind of alien from outer space and she'd only just realized it. On an impulse, she slid the cards she'd been holding into a holder on the contraption on her arm and took a single card off the fan-like attachment. Turning it over she showed him the front where an image of the very dragon that had just tried to blast him into oblivion was printed. "What you saw was the Luster Dragon #2. I guess you might not have seen it before . . .?"

Okay . . . So it was strange to them that he had never seen this—Luster Dragon before. He filed that information away for later contemplation and turned his attention back to the more important question at hand. The dragon had looked and sounded real. It had been able to make a sound so loud that he had felt the ground shake. These two said that they had been dueling, and the dragon was apparently a playing card. Dueling then was probably a gaming term, and the dragon a part of that game.

"So it wasn't real," he said aloud as realization dawned. Relief bubbled up inside him. For a moment there he'd thought for sure that all the rules of reality he'd known were about to be trampled to death by giant, clawed feet.

"Of course not," the girl laughed. The blonde too chuckled, though Shinichi thought he might have detected a hint of uneasiness in his voice. Odd. "It was just a hologram. Are you foreign or something? I didn't think there was anyone in the world who didn't know about duel disk technology these days."

Foreign huh? That was actually a very interesting question, Shinichi noted. "This might sound strange, but where am I exactly?"

The girl stopped laughing and stared at him. "You're serious? This is Domino City, Japan."

"Domino." The name was unfamiliar to Shinichi. And what had they meant when they said this 'duel disk technology' was known all over the world? He was sure he would have heard of it if it was. He'd always kept himself as up to date on new technology as possible, and he certainly would have remembered something that could produce holograms as realistic as that dragon had been.

"Are you lost?" the blonde asked.

"Yeah . . ." Lost didn't begin to cover it. "I just got here," he added, deciding to keep the fact that he wasn't sure how to himself. They already seemed to think he was a little crazy.

"Well, I can show you around if ya want," the boy offered. "Don't really have anythin' else I need to do right now."

"I've got a doctor's appointment though," the girl sighed. "Oh well, I hope you enjoy your time in Domino." Turning, she bowed to the blonde. "Thank you for dueling me. It was an honor. Even if we didn't get to finish, I learned a lot."

A rather goofy grin spread across the boy's face, obviously pleased by the attention. "No prob! We should have a rematch sometime."

"That would be great. Thanks again." With a final wave goodbye, the girl turned and trotted off across the field towards a distant playground. Once she was gone, the blonde turned and offered Shinichi his hand.

"I'm Joey Wheeler, nice ta meet you."

Shinichi took the proffered hand a little hesitantly. "Kudo Shinichi. Um, I didn't mean to interrupt your game."

Joey waved him away with an easy laugh. "Nah, don't worry about it. Like I said, I've got nothin' better to do, might as well give you a hand. So where're ya stayin'?"

"I don't really know yet," Shinichi replied honestly, falling into step beside the tall, blond teen.

"Didn't plan ahead huh? I do that a lot too, hehe. Why don't I give you the grand tour while you think about it?"

Shinichi nodded slowly. He needed to get a better idea of where he was and maybe he'd be able to figure out how he'd wound up here to begin with. "I would appreciate that. Thank you."

X

He was sitting on soft, springy grass. The rough surface behind his back could only be a tree trunk. But how had he gotten here? There hadn't been any grass or trees on the roof. Holding perfectly still and keeping his breathing deep and even, Kaito turned his attention to the quiet chirping of the birds and the distant rumble of traffic. Obviously he was on ground level somewhere with little vehicle activity. Closer to him there was nothing but the soft whisper of the breeze through swaying leaves and his own even breathing.

Satisfied, he opened his eyes and took a look around. As he'd surmised, he was alone. As to where he was . . . A small park maybe? Had there been any small parks near the heist scene? He certainly couldn't remember any, and he always memorized the lay of the land before executing a heist. That and even if there had been a park it wouldn't explain why he'd been sleeping in it in full costume in broad daylight.

The sound of running footsteps approaching from behind brought him whirling around, one hand moving up automatically to tug down on the brim of his hat. Expecting to see the police converging upon him, he was surprised when he saw two somewhat short teenagers instead. His eyes were drawn immediately to the identical, upside-down pyramid pendants they had around their necks. The things looked like they were made of gold—and he should know. But what really made him raise his eyebrows was the two's appearances. Both boys had the craziest hair he'd ever seen—and that included all the interesting things he'd managed to do to Hakuba's—all spikes streaked with at least three different colors. Even stranger, the slightly taller of the two had red eyes. He wondered briefly if they were contacts, but the color looked genuine. The smaller of the two was in the lead and he skidded to a stop when he was a handful of meters away to stare at Kaito in surprise.

"Oh," he gasped, already large eyes widening in confusion. "You're human."

Kaito paused for a moment. That . . .wasn't what he'd expected. "That I am," he agreed finally. "Were you expecting something else?"

"Well, I just thought, when we felt the distu—I mean—" The boy cut himself off as his companion (brother? They certainly looked similar enough. On the flip side, since he'd seen Kudo Shinichi—and thoroughly researched their respective family trees—he'd learned not to presume physical similarities were absolute proof of blood ties) placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Who are you?" the red-eyed one asked in a clear, strong voice that indicated he was used to giving commands.

It was slightly disappointing to discover someone who didn't know who he was—even if that was probably a good thing in this case—but hey, there was always time to remedy that. He swept into a bow, razor grin firmly in place.

"Kaitou KID, at your service. May I inquire as to whom I am speaking to?"

"I'm Yugi Motou," the smaller boy introduced himself. "And this is Yami."

"That's a strange name. Is it really what you're called?" the one called Yami stated. Even as he asked his question those strangely colored eyes narrowed. "There is the touch of magic on you."

"Well, I _am_ a magician," Kaito pointed out, producing a deck of cards from nowhere and arching them between his hands with practiced ease. "As for names, forgive me for the bluntness but your own is quite peculiar too." He thought he saw wry amusement flash across the boy's face at the comment as Yugi covered a smile.

Yami cleared his throat, face serious once more. "That is not what I meant when I asked about magic. I was referring to what brought you to this world."

Now Kaito was wondering if he'd hit his head somewhere and this was some kind of dream. A very realistic dream, granted, but a dream all the same because these two seemed to really believe what Yami had said.

"I think there may have been a misunderstanding here, but just out of curiosity, where exactly do you think I'm from then?"

"Well, since you speak Japanese, it's probably a world parallel to this one," Yugi replied honestly. "You _are_ from Japan, right?"

Kaito debated answering for a moment, but what was the harm? And besides, he was starting to get the feeling that something a lot bigger than he had first realized was going on here. "I was in Tokyo before I got here, in fact. Assuming this isn't Tokyo anymore?"

"This is Domino City," Yami supplied.

"Domino huh? I've never heard of it." And he'd thoroughly researched all the cities that could possibly contain gems worthy of his attention. This city, if it really wasn't Tokyo (which was starting to feel more and more likely the more he thought about it), was certainly big. He could even see the glitter of skyscrapers in the distance. Setting aside his bewilderment to be dealt with at a later date, he fixed the pair of lookalikes with a searching gaze. "Were you serious when you said I was transported here from another world by magic?"

Both lookalikes faces went momentarily blank at exactly the same time (it was actually kind of creepy) before Yami spoke. "I believe it would be best if we found somewhere less open to talk about this. If that is all right with you?"

Kaito shrugged. "Fine by me. Just give me a moment." That said he dropped a smoke bomb. When the smoke cleared he was no longer dressed as KID but in casual clothes with a baseball cap pulled low over his eyes, one of which was still obscured by his monocle with the charm tucked up out of sight. This got a started gasp from Yugi and a quirk of the eyebrow from Yami but neither of them commented. Interesting. "Lead the way."

X

Shinichi was starting to get confused. This Domino was clearly a large and highly populated city well ensconced in the international economy. So how had he never heard of it? It just wasn't possible! But the evidence was staring at him in the face. The question was, what was it pointing to?

"Hey, you all right there?"

Shinichi looked up to find Joey giving him an odd look. "Oh, yeah, sorry, what did you say?"

"I was askin' if there was anywhere else you wanted ta see," the blonde reiterated, waving one hand to indicate the city in general. They had already visited several hotels (Shinichi still wasn't sure if he was supposed to be getting a room or not), multiple restaurants, and more gaming related hotspots than he had ever thought could exist in one city. Games seemed to be the life's blood of this city and he'd witnessed at least a dozen of those 'duels' in progress. The holographic technology was truly fascinating but at the same time it just reminded him of how strange his situation was. Their last stop had been the city's museum. Privately, Shinichi was surprised by this, since his guide didn't really seem to be the museum type.

Well, there was one place Shinichi knew he could start getting some answers. "Could you show me to the library?"

"The library?" Joey repeated in the tone of voice someone might use to refer to rotting fish. "Why would you wanna go there?"

"There's something I want to look up," the detective explained patiently. "You can just drop me off there. I remember the way to the hotels so I won't get lost again."

"Nah, I'll come with. There's usually a duel goin' on in the lot behind the library anyway and there was one more place you've got to see while you're in Domino. We'll head there once you're done lookin' your stuff up."

"I guess if you don't mind then that would be fine," Shinichi agreed. "You're really into this Duel Monsters game aren't you?"

"Are you kidding? Of course I am! You're talkin' to the Duelist Kingdom runner up and Battle City top four!"

Shinichi had no idea what either of those things were—probably tournaments—but Joey was obviously very proud of his accomplishments. The detective was just wondering how he was supposed to respond—was he supposed to congratulate him?—when he was saved from having to say anything by a shout.

"Joey!" Coming towards them was a dark-skinned boy with a mass of pale, blond hair and a broad grin.

Joey too broke out into a matching grin. "Malik! I didn't know you were in town."

"Just got here this morning," the newcomer replied with a shrug. "Isis is helping with a new exhibit the museum's opening tomorrow." His lavender gaze turned to Shinichi and the detective could have sworn he saw a flicker of shock then suspicion flash through them. "So who's your friend?"

"Oh, this is Shinichi Kudo. And this," he added, turning to Shinichi, "is Malik Ishtar."

The two traded the usual first meeting pleasantries, Shinichi watching the other's face closely for any signs of the odd emotions he'd thought he'd seen before or any indication of what they might have meant, before Joey and Malik got to chattering about people they knew. Apparently this Malik person was from Egypt and hadn't been in Domino for several months now. When Joey mentioned his current self-appointed task of showing Shinichi around town and the events that had led up to it, Malik cast Shinichi a rather speculative look.

"You should take him to Yugi's," the Egyptian remarked.

"Yeah, I'm going to, but he wants to see the library first." Joey made a face at that.

Malik laughed and winked at Shinchi. "You'll be setting a record if you manage to get him through the door."

"Hey I've been in the library," Joey said a bit defensively. "I just prefer to do my readin' at home."

Malik put on a show of being shocked. "You read?"

"Oi!"

"Just kidding," the Egyptian laughed, raising his hands. "I'd love to stay and talk but Isis is going to kill me if I don't get her those folders soon. I'll probably swing by Yugi's once I'm done here too so I guess I'll see you guys later."

"Later," Joey echoed and the three parted ways.

X

Apparently the park Kaito had woken up in was a small one situated in a quiet neighborhood. He saw almost no one as he followed Yugi and Yami along the sidewalks. He made a point of checking the street signs as he went, taking note of the occasional advertisement which proved that this really was a city called Domino. Still, he wasn't sure if he was ready to believe that he was really in another world.

He'd never been opposed to the idea of real magic. Unlike many of the people he knew, he didn't have the driving need to find logical answers to everything. But at the same time, being a magician had taught him that many things that looked like magic really weren't. He loved that moment when a person could forget logic and believe that the object really had disappeared or the bird emerged from a flower bud but he still knew fundamentally that there was a logical answer. Real magic on the other hand . . . Real magic lay in the light of the sun and the flight of a bird across the clear, blue sky. It glimmered in the crystal depths of dewdrops and echoed in the laughter of the wind.

Or at least that was what he'd always believed—still believed. Only now he was starting to think there might be more. It was a thought he'd often entertained—it was hard not to when he had appointed himself the task of searching for a gemstone with supernatural powers—but it wasn't until now that the sheer significance of what that would mean hit him.

But other worlds? That was a whole different basket of eggs. And yet the more he saw of this place the more likely it was beginning to seem.

Ahead of him Yugi was idly explaining where they were and how long it would take to get to where they were going, etc, probably more for something to say than anything else. Yami on the other hand was scanning their surroundings like he was searching for something. It reminded Kaito of how the two had looked when they'd first run up to him. They had expected to find something. He'd surprised them not by being there but by being . . .human? But what could they have been expecting that wouldn't be human? Somehow he doubted the usual dogs and cats would warrant the urgency he'd read in them.

A flash of movement in the corner of his eye brought Kaito to an abrupt halt. The lookalikes too had stopped, both their postures tense. He followed their gaze to where a—a large, gargoylian thing with a massive canon mounted on its back had just stepped out into the middle of the thankfully empty street. It snarled at them, revealing uneven teeth and making its almost bestial features twist into a grotesque mask of malice.

Well, if that didn't put the icing on the cake, he didn't know what would.

The monster spotted them and a vicious gleam lit up its beady eyes. Taking a menacing step forward, it let out a screeching roar and bent forward. As it did so the canon on its back lit up and energy blasted from its circular mouth. Pure reflex had Kaito up on a lamppost before the blast had fully left the creature's weapon, but he had no idea how he was supposed to prevent it from frying his two guides, neither of whom had run. He was just about to attempt pulling them out of there when he saw Yami step swiftly in front of Yugi and hold up what looked like a card. The energy blast hit the card with a blinding flash of light then rebounded to strike its source. Said monster let out an outraged cry and dissolved into nothingness. There was literally nothing left of it—but it had to have been there because he could still see the marks its claws had left in the concrete street.

"Are you all right?"

Coming out of his thoughts, Kaito looked down to find Yugi peering worriedly up at him. Offering his devil-may-care smile, Kaito leapt off the lamppost to land lightly on the ground beside the lookalikes.

"I'm fine. However I would like an explanation. First of all, what _was_ that thing? And secondly, what did you _do_ to it?"

Once again both lookalikes faces when momentarily blank before Yugi answered. "We're almost at the game shop. We'll tell you more when we get there."

X

Seated at one of the many reading tables scattered throughout the Domino City Library, Shinichi stared blankly down at the open notebook in front of him. Its pages were covered in the notes he'd taken through the course of the last two hours' research, all of which seemed to be mocking him. Tearing his gaze away from his own writing, he picked up the atlas again and gave it another halfhearted once-over. Nothing had changed. Domino was clearly marked as a sizable city in Japan. There were also a handful of other cities he'd never heard of but which showed up on every map he'd looked at. Dropping the atlas back on the table with an unceremonious flop, he prodded the modern history books as though they'd readjust their contents if prompted then dropped his head into his hands. This just didn't make any sense! Years of history couldn't just change overnight! But there it all was—everything from the groundbreaking technology emerging from the gaming industry to articles on strange, natural—and some possibly not so natural—disasters that had struck all over the world in recent times. It was almost like he'd woken up in another world or something.

But that was just ridiculous! Wasn't it? What other explanation could there be? He could be dreaming, but he'd pinched himself several times already and it had definitely hurt every time. He'd also considered the possibility that he'd somehow been put into some kind of virtual world like the one he'd met Hiroki in, but the people here were too natural to be programmed. It also felt too _real_ to be either a dream or a virtual simulation.

So if this _was_ all real—because that was the least nonsensical explanation out of the host of impossibilities—then how in the world had he gotten here and how was he going to get back? Closing his eyes, he thought back to what he remembered of the events that had led up to his waking up in the path of a holographic dragon's rampage. He had been at a KID heist. It was the first one he'd gone to since the shutdown of the Black Organization. Kogoro and Ran had been there too, the former having been invited by the jewel's owner despite Nakamori-Keibu's vehement complaints. He'd spent some time catching up with Ran since they hadn't seen much of each other lately. It felt a little odd not seeing her and Kogoro every day after living with them for two years, and he still found himself slipping and addressing her as "Ran-neechan" now and then. It was almost funny how he could tell that Ran was torn between being irritated by that and not minding. It seemed she'd enjoyed being a big sister and it had left its mark both on her and them. But they were comfortable with it and they were still good friends, so he supposed things had worked out for the best. Certainly better than he'd had any right to hope. Anyhow, Hakuba had shown up at some point and come over to introduce himself since he didn't know that they'd actually already met before. He had talked with the British detective for a while about some of their recent cases before the lights went out and KID had arrived with his usual flash and flare.

There hadn't been much time to think about anything but the chase after that. It was as crazy as ever and he would never forget the sight of ten taskforce officers stumbling about in a single, long caterpillar costume. When he'd finally caught up to the thief he'd been mildly surprised to be greeted by a "Welcome back, Tantei-kun, I guess you won your war".

They'd bantered a bit before he made the customary demand for the thief to return the jewel. That was where his memory got a bit confused.

He remembered KID holding out the jewel which didn't look anything like the one Shinichi had seen him steal. It was the same color but the wrong shape. Curious and a bit wary of what tricks the thief might have hidden up his sleeves, Shinichi had reached out to examine the thing and . . .and . . .

He frowned. His memory was a complete blank from that point on until he'd woken up that morning.

Had it had something to do with the gemstone? That had to be it.

So he'd pinpointed the most likely source of the problem. How it was responsible was something he'd have to leave for another time though. The more important question was that of getting back to—to . . .back home. A quick inventory of his personal belongings was no help. He had his case notebook, which was almost brand new and now had several pages of notes on the oddities of this—this world. Ugh, that was hard even to think to himself. He also had several pens, his tranquilizer watch, a backup supply of darts, the newest version of the soccer-belt made to suit his current age, his wallet, cell phone, his Conan glasses, and a small box of Haibara's new temporary shrinking pills (which she'd made because even he had to admit there were times when being a kid was more convenient and which she'd assured him were perfectly safe but should still be for emergencies only). While several of those items were useful while he was on a murder case, they didn't look all that helpful now. The cell phone, usually the most helpful of items when he was lost, was probably useless if his theory was correct.

Fishing said handheld out of his pocket he flipped it open and confirmed that yes, there was no service.

He was about to put the phone away when a hand snatched it right out of his fingers. Startled and annoyed, he looked up to find a rather rough looking teenager dressed like a cross between a wannabe gangster and a drifter turning his phone over in gloved hands. He also had one of those duel disk machines strapped to his arm.

"Fancy phone."

"Not really," Shinichi replied, watching the intruder through narrowed eyes. "However it _is_ mine."

The intruder snorted, making no move to give the phone back. Instead he turned his own glare on the increasingly irate detective. "I heard from some people you were a friend of Wheeler's. So where is he?"

Shinichi blinked slowly at the demand, expression blank. Did this guy think he was stupid? What kind of person in their right mind would help someone acting the way this guy was find anyone, especially if they were friends?

"Oi, you listening to me?"

"I would rather not be," Shinichi said honestly, not bothering to hold back an exasperated sigh. "Are you going to give me back my phone or not?"

The intruder's glare darkened then he smirked and flicked his wrist. The cell phone disappeared. "How about you answer my question, and then I give you the phone?"

Shinichi's hand flashed forward and the intruder's eyes widened as he stepped back. He probably thought he was being attacked, but instead Shinichi plucked his abducted phone from the guy's jacket pocket and tucked it back into his own.

"You can't fool me," he said dryly as he stood up and began gathering his things. "I know someone who can do tricks like that much better than you ever will. Now if you'll excuse me, I have better things to do with my time than answer your questions."

He'd almost gotten to the library doors before the intruder caught up to him again and planted himself squarely in front of the doors. The guy sure was persistent, he'd give him that much. Rude, but persistant.

"You _will_ tell me where Wheeler is!"

"I doubt that," Shinichi sighed, walking around him and making another bid for the door.

"Yeah, he doesn't have to," a familiar voice piped up and they both turned to see the blonde in question emerging from a corridor to their right. Shinichi remembered that the library map had said that corridor led to a small printing center and an exit that opened on to the back lot. "Collin right? I remember you. Didn't you learn yer lesson last time?"

The intruder, Collin, snarled and for a moment Shinichi thought he might actually attack the blonde, but instead he lifted his duel disk like it was a weapon. "I'm ten times better than I was and you're going to pay for embarrassing me last time!"

Joey grinned cockily, obviously eager. "All right then, let's duel. You don't mind do you Shinichi? This shouldn't take very long."

Shinichi shrugged, biting back the urge to reprimand the duelist for using his first name. It hadn't helped the last twenty times he'd said something after all. From what he'd seen of the people in this city—or possibly just the people around Joey—they all treated each other with the same casual friendliness. For Shinichi, who'd had the importance of politeness drilled into him since he was little, it was a little uncomfortable. Stuffing his hands into his pockets, he trailed after the two opponents out to the library's back lot. Truth be told he was really curious. He'd read a lot about the blossoming of the game's popularity and the astounding technology that had come to be considered an integral part of it and he was itching to see how it worked. This time from an angle where he could actually appreciate it.

Settling himself on the steps leading down from the library's backdoor. There was a strip of flagstones between the bottom of the steps and the green lawn beyond where a handful of families were having picnics. Joey and Collin traded decks and shuffled before returning each deck to its respective owner. Then they walked away from each other and activated their duel disks.

"Your move," Joey called out as he spread his hand of cards.

"Shut up! I'll set one monster in defense mode and one card face down." Two enormous cards appeared in front of Collin's feet.

"All right then. I play two cards face down and summon Gearfried the Iron Knight, in attack mode!" A tall, armored knight rose in front of Joey and raised its blade in anticipation. As the blonde duelist called out for the charge it leapt and brought its blade down on the closer of the face down cards. For an instant a bird-like creature appeared before dissolving in a shower of sparks and an echoing screech.

Collin grinned. "Ha! Thanks. You've activated my Owl of Luck's ability. I get to move one field spell card to the top of my deck."

Joey rolled his eyes. "Big deal. I place another card face down and end my turn."

"I'll show you what's a _big deal_," his opponent sneered. "You handed me your own death sentence! I activate the field spell Zombie World!" Even as the side panel where the newest card was placed slid back into its slot the ground all around their feet went from flagstone to dark, uneven dirt. Shinichi stared, fascinated as horror-movie type trees sprouted all around them and glowing eyes blinked open amidst the branches under rising patches of dirt. It all looked so real! He could even hear the faint twitters and rustling of unseen critters moving amongst the branches. A thin, white fog began to rise, eddying around the duelists' feet and lapping at the steps where Shinichi himself sat. He almost reached out to see if it was damp—it certainly smelled like damp earth and fog—but his attention was dragged back to the game as Collin activated a spell card he called "Field Barrier" then slammed another card onto his duel disk.

"Welcome the Paladin of the Cursed Dragon!"

The sky darkened as storm clouds spread like spilled ink across a sky blue canvas. Then dark, purple lightning flashed and a winged creature burst from the billowing clouds. It was a dragon, but its flesh was translucent as though it was a ghost and Shinichi could clearly see its skeleton inside it. Seated astride the creature's back was an armor-clad warrior with a sword held menacingly in one hand. As the beast landed on the ground in front of Joey's Iron knight the dragon rider turned its head first to the holographic knight then to Joey standing behind it. Even sitting off to the side Shinichi could feel that heavy gaze and it sent a shudder of something akin to fear racing down his spine.

_It's just a hologram_, he told himself firmly.

"All right Paladin, crush that Iron Knight!" Collin crowed, triumph bright in his eyes. Joey tensed, waiting, but the seconds drew on and nothing happened. Collin's triumphant grin faded into a puzzled scowl. "Hey, what the hell's going on? Attack already!"

The warrior on the dragon's back turned its head in his direction. Then, with a suddenness that had both duelists and Shinichi frozen in shock, the skeletal dragon spun on its heels and snapped at Collin with massive, bony jaws. The boy let out a strangled cry and fell back onto the ground, eyes bulging and mouth agape. Rearing its head back, the dragon screeched and made another dive for him. Collin threw himself sideways then scrambled back to his feet, cards flying in every direction, and bolted. With the duel interrupted Joey's duel disk deactivated and both his Knight and set cards vanished.

The dragon and its rider did not.

And all around them the dark, damp earth terrain began to spread along with the creeping, cloying fog. The smell of both was growing stronger too and Shinichi didn't have to reach out to feel the damp.

Joey cursed. "Damn, we gotta find Yugi."

X

Kaito stared down at the playing card in his hand in bemusement. The name on it read "Big Canon Ogre", which was rather uncreative but certainly fitting. It had definitely looked ogre-ish and boy had that been a big canon.

"So these . . .monsters are real around here?"

"Well, not usually," Yugi admitted from where he was seated on the couch. "Most of the time they're just part of the game, though Kaiba's holograms can make them pretty real. But the monsters have, well, real counterparts that dwell in the Shadow Realm."

"Is this another world too then?"

"No," Yami said firmly. "Realms are the various dimensions that exist within the same world. Some worlds do not have them, some have many. Realms therefore can interact with each other much more easily whereas worlds themselves are usually entirely separate."

"So then how did I get here?" the magician asked the question he'd been dying to know for a while now. He'd decided to suspend all disbelief for the time being and just see what he could learn. If it turned out in the end that this was all just some grand hallucination then he would at least have had a fun experience. If not, then not believing something just because it was odd wouldn't help him in the least.

"That would depend," the red-eyed teen said after a moment's consideration. "Can you tell us what happened prior to your arrival?"

Kaito pondered this for a moment then nodded. It wasn't as though he had anything to lose, and these people obviously knew things he didn't. They didn't seem half as surprised at his presence as he was to be there after all even if they hadn't expected it either.

"I had just acquired a new gemstone," he began, mentally tweaking a few minor details his audience didn't need to know. "An emerald. It was night time and I was looking at it in the moonlight when it—changed. When I first got it, the thing was sort of egg shaped, but while I was examining it it became a sort of pyramid. An acquaintance of mine wanted a closer look, and when he touched it there was . . ." He paused then shook his head with a rueful grin. "It's kind of hard to describe. There was definitely a lot of light, but it was also like the entire world was twisting, or melting—maybe both. Next thing I knew I was waking up where you found me."

"Have you had any contact with magic before?"

"Not of this variety, no. Though I do know a witch. I don't really think she has anything to do with this either though," he added quickly at their thoughtful looks. "Personally, if I had to point fingers, I'd point it at the jewel."

"That would be the most likely," Yami agreed. "Did you feel anything from the jewel before your friend made contact with it?"

"Just the shape-changing. Does that mean something?"

"Possibly, but I would need to examine the jewel to know what. Either way though I am certain your friend was probably caught up in the same magic you were."

Kaito straightened abruptly in his seat. "So he's somewhere around here too?"

"I believe so. Though I may be wrong. We really need to get a hold of that jewel. Do you know where—" Yami cut himself off abruptly as his head snapped around like a bloodhound scenting prey. "Another one just came through."

"Another one?" Kaito repeated. "Another what?"

Yami was already on his feet and moving, Yugi not far behind, but the smaller boy paused at the question. "Another shadow monster. We have to go find it before anyone gets hurt."

"I'll come with you," the magician said immediately, bounding to his feet.

"Are you sure? It's going to be dangerous."

Kaito's grin widened into a full KID smirk, all razor edges and mischief. "Don't worry. I'm far from helpless."

X

Shinichi had thought his definition of weird had reached all new heights when he'd been forced to the conclusion that he may very well be in some other dimension. Now he realized that the definition of weird had no boundaries and he hadn't reached anywhere worth mentioning before.

The ground beneath his feet was moist, soft, and uneven. The air was heavy and stuck in his throat as he struggled to breathe. He couldn't have been running for more than ten or fifteen minutes but the lack of stable ground was making it three times harder to run than it should have been. The task was then made another ten times harder by the fact that there was a phantom-skeleton-dragon monster chasing after him under the direction of its a sword-wielding master. Even worse, the ground shifted occasionally not from being loose but because other half-dead looking creatures were slowly rising from it. To his left he could hear Joey muttering something about "stupid shadow magic" and needing to find someone called Yugi.

All around them people were screaming. A part of Shinichi's mind noted that their reactions seemed to indicate that this kind of thing wasn't normal in this world either, even if some of them seemed less surprised than others. It certainly didn't stop them all from making a break for the hills.

Joey had probably been the least surprised of all the people in the monster's near vicinity. He had yanked Shinichi to his feet and said they had to run. The monster liked moving targets and it had come after them (which, in retrospect, was probably a good thing since the only other prey it could have chosen in the immediate area were the picnicking families with their much younger kids). They couldn't run forever though and the bony dragon had much longer legs than they did even if it was slightly awkward on the ground. Thank heavens there wasn't enough room for it to fly.

If this was what advanced holographic technology led to then Shinichi hoped that his own world never, ever developed it.

"Do you have somewhere we can go in mind?" Shinichi panted as he ran. "Or are we just running?"

"We're leadin' that thing to my friend Yugi's house," Joey replied, casting a distracted glance back over his shoulder. Shinichi raised an eyebrow at that but decided not to waste oxygen asking about it. He wouldn't bring this kind of guest to his friend's house, but that was just his opinion. And it sounded like Joey expected this Yugi person to be able to do something about the overly realistic monster.

Joey swore as they rounded the corner and skidded to a stop so that Shinichi had to scramble to avoid running into him. He didn't have to ask why they'd stopped with the monster mere strides behind them. The answer was standing in front of them in the form of six different ghoulish creatures with blank, staring eyes.

Joey gulped and took a step back as the monster brigade advanced. "We're in trouble now."

"And we weren't in trouble before?" Shinichi asked. His mind was racing in search of an escape route. He'd tried a soccer ball on the Paladin, but the black and white shreds in the teeth of his mount showed how well that had worked. These creatures on the other hand weren't as large, so maybe he could get one of them to move aside long enough for him and Joey to get through.

"Tantei-kun!"

Shinichi's hand froze halfway to his belt. He recognized that voice, but what was it doing here? Turning instinctively to search for its source, he was momentarily blinded by several flash bombs going off all around him and Joey. He could hear the blonde's confused yell as a hand caught his arm. There was a moment of mindboggling motion that his senses didn't seem to want to explain to him. When his vision cleared however he was looking at the distant backs of the monster brigade. Joey was sitting in the dirt not too far away, looking dazed, and standing to Shinichi's other side was—

"KID!"

The magician winced. "No need to yell Tantei-kun, my hearing is perfectly fine."

"What are you doing here?"

The thief shrugged, eyes trained on the monsters who had just realized where the humans had disappeared off to. "Same reason you are most likely. Might I suggest we leave now and talk later?"

X

The source of the disturbance had, Yugi thought a bit wryly, been easy to find. They'd just had to go against the flow of fleeing people. From the size of the commotion whatever had come through had to be either very powerful or extra nasty—or both.

::I think there may be more than one of them,:: Yami's voice rang out in his mind, sounding slightly baffled. ::There's something . . .strange about them though, like they're not all exactly what they should be.::

:I guess we'd better hurry then,: Yugi thought back, forcing himself to run faster. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a flash of white and he wondered briefly when their visitor had re-donned the costume he'd arrived in. Not that it mattered, he supposed, but it was a bit shocking how quickly the magician could change his appearance.

::He _is_ very skilled,:: Yami agreed. ::I must admit I am surprised that he is not a practitioner.::

:Maybe people in his world don't really practice magic.:

All speculation on the practice of magic in other worlds was cut off as they found themselves on a street that had taken on the physical attributes reminiscent of a haunted forest. By now most people had cleared out of the area, but there were still a few who were scrambling to get away from the creatures slowly clambering up out of the soft ground. In the distance Yugi thought he saw someone who looked an awful lot like Joey and another boy he didn't recognize being surrounded. And there, looming over them, was . . .

:The Paladin of the Cursed Dragon!:

::That was the one we sensed come through,:: Yami replied grimly. ::It also explains all these zombies. They are all being controlled.::

:So if we send it back to the Shadow Realm all the others will go too?:

::Yes.::

Nodding, Yugi turned to warn their visitor to remember what they'd told him about shadow beasts only to see the magician vanish. He stared, blinked, then jerked back around as monsters let out angry shrieks. Several blinding flashes of light exploded amidst the group of monsters nearest the Paladin, making the undead creatures cringe. When the sparks cleared Yugi could see that Joey and his companion were gone. A frantic search found them now much closer to Yugi and Yami's position and temporarily out of harm's way along with a familiar, white-clad figure.

"Stop gaping Aibou," Yami admonished lightly, amusement clear in his voice as he selected a handful of cards. "We have work to do."

X

"I should have guessed you would be right in the middle of the trouble," KID remarked as two almost identical boys with the most unusual hairstyles Shinichi had ever seen ran past them. The shorter one stopped beside them for a moment to give Joey a little shake.

"Joey, are you all right?"

The blonde blinked out of whatever daze he'd been in and his face lit up. "Yugi! You made it! You have any idea what's going on here?"

"We'll explain later," the one called Yugi said hurriedly before looking up at KID and Shinichi with an apologetic smile. "We need to deal with the Paladin first."

"I'm comin' with you," Joey declared, scrambling to his feet and dusting himself off. "Just tell me what ta do."

As the two of them ran off after Yugi's lookalike, Shinichi turned to give KID a searching look. "Do _you_ know what's going on?"

"As in do I know what's going on in general? Or do I know what's going on right here?"

"Both, but here would be a good start."

"Ah, but you were here first, were you not? Perhaps you should tell me."

Shinichi frowned. "All I know is this one person's holographic projection device malfunctioned and somehow managed to produce all this."

"Oh, the holograms! I heard about those. These aren't holograms though Tantei-kun, haven't you noticed you can touch them?"

"What do you mean they're not holograms? What else could they be?"

"I would have thought the answer to that would be fairly obvious, Detective." The thief tensed, noticing that some of the monsters were beginning to turn their way.

"You—you mean some of those things are real?" Shinichi half squeaked half choked. His gaze flew back to the rampaging monsters and just seemed to stick. He literally couldn't tear his eyes away. "_That's real_?"

"Don't lose it now Tantei-kun," the magician muttered, dragging them both behind one of the tombstone-like rocks that had sprouted from the dark, moist earth along with the twisted trees and zombie beasts. "I hear these things do worse than just eat you."

Shifting onto his knees, Shinichi moved to peer around the boulder. He was greeted by one of the most bizarre scenes he had ever laid eyes on. There on one side loomed the menacing figure of the Paladin and its skeletal mount. Before it was arrayed a veritable army of monsters, all of whom were converging upon Joey and the two boys with the crazy hair. Or at least they were trying to. It was like . . .watching some kind of video game. There were flashes of light and pulses of distorted space. Odd contraptions appeared one moment only to vanish the next. There was even the occasional other monster which would emerge from apparently nowhere to engage one of the Paladin's zombie army in combat before disappearing as quickly as it had come. It was fairly clear that the zombies weren't making any headway against the three humans, but at the same time for every zombie vanquished another would rise to take its place—often the same one that had just been destroyed.

"This has to be some kind of nightmare," Shinichi breathed, trying to convince himself more than anything. This kind of thing didn't happen. It just—didn't.

"Well, I wouldn't call it a nightmare," a new voice remarked. "But it is a bit of a fix. Good thing I got here so fast."

Jumping, Shinichi spun around, his back pressed flat against the boulder. To his left KID too tensed. But the only thing standing before them was a lean, dark-skinned boy with platinum blonde hair.

"Malik Ishtar?" Shinichi gasped in surprise, recognizing the new arrival.

The Egyptian grinned. "The one and only. Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got a bit of crowd control to do." That said, he pulled a long, golden scepter from his belt and stepped around the boulder to go striding towards the battle for all the world like he was just going for a walk.

"Yo Yugi! Pharaoh! Just leave the cronies to me and get rid of that eyesore with the sword!" As he spoke, Malik raised his scepter and the decorative sphere with the eye-pattern on its end flashed a brilliant gold. In it s harsh light almost all the monsters froze. Malik himself now wore an expression of fierce concentration.

The taller of the lookalikes immediately darted forward through the unmoving masses to face the Paladin. He was chanting something but Shinichi didn't recognize the language even as the syllables echoed and vibrated in the air in a way no sound was meant to. It made the air tingle with a sense of heavy, age-old power. Each word drew the world in closer and all other sounds faded until all that existed was that voice and its speaker. Then, with a final, commanding snap of syllables, the Paladin's mount reared back and screeched an ear-piercing cry before it, its master, the paralyzed monsters, and even the unnatural scenery vanished, leaving behind nothing but an ordinary city street.

X

"It seems your arrival caused a temporary breech between realms—more specifically, the Shadow Realm and our human one," Yami concluded. He, Yugi, Malik, Joey, and the two otherworldly visitors had retreated to the Kame Game Shop after the incident with the Paladin. There introductions had been made all around before the red-eyed duelist explained his take on the current spate of monster sightings.

"That's how the monsters are getting through," Malik added, absently twirling his golden scepter around and around in his hand. "I ran into a few over by the museum earlier too. Most of them seem to be coming through where duels are in progress, probably because that's where the realms are naturally drawn together already."

"So then it's our fault the monsters are appearing?" Shinichi frowned, guilt creeping through his stomach in acid tendrils. "Is there any way we can help?"

"Don't worry too much about it," Yugi replied, smiling a bit sheepishly. "This kind of thing happens all the time really. We just need to seal all the breeches back up and things will go back to normal."

"I will have to examine the object that caused the breech before I can properly seal them however," Yami interjected. "Any patching done otherwise would be taking care of the aftermath without solving the problem itself. Do either of you know where this jewel of yours is?"

Shinichi turned to the thief but KID only shook his head. "I don't have it. It was in my hand when this all started, but it was gone by the time I got here."

There was a long moment of contemplative silence in the living room before Malik let out an irritated sigh. "It's a pity Ryou's in England right now or we could've used the Ring to find it."

"Well that's no help," Joey scoffed. "Man, doesn't that mean this thing could be anywhere?"

"I doubt it could have gone too far," Yami mused. "A device made for traveling would hardly be useful if it got lost the moment it was used. It seems more likely that something about its makeup bounces it away from its users but that it would remain within a reasonable distance."

"Well, first thing's first," Yugi announced, drawing everyone's attention. He turned to the two travelers. "What does it look like?"

"It's an emerald," Shinichi answered. "Or at least it was . . ."

"And last I saw it was shaped like a pyramid about this big." KID held up his hands to indicate an object slightly smaller than a clenched fist.

"So we're lookin' for a small, green rock," Joey grumbled. "That's not gonna be easy."

Malik straightened up abruptly. "Wait a moment. An emerald pyramid? Are you sure that's what it looks like?"

The thief and the detective traded looks before they both nodded.

The Egyptian grinned, lavender eyes flashing. "Isis told me she found a small pyramid made of green stone when she was unpacking the last exhibit today. She thought someone put it in as a last minute addition but I'll bet that's your jewel."

"Can you bring it here?" Yami asked.

Malik nodded. "Sure. It'll have to wait until tomorrow evening though. Isis'll want to know what's going on and I'll have to, uh, do some arranging so no one misses it."

"You guys don't mind waiting do you?" Yugi asked, turning his attention back to the travelers.

"I doubt one day will make much difference," the magician replied, shrugging. "Tantei-kun?"

"I don't mind."

The diminutive duelist beamed. "All right then. You two can stay here the night if you want. Gramps is in Egypt right now so one of you can stay in his room and the other can use the guest room."

Shinichi nodded. "Thank you."

X

"Shouldn't you be sleeping?"

Shinichi looked up from his notebook to find KID leaning over the back of the couch. "Shouldn't you?"

"Are you kidding?" the magician laughed, vaulting the back of the couch to land neatly in the seat beside Shinichi. "We're in another world! Never needed much sleep anyway."

"Why am I not surprised?" the detective muttered a bit dryly, turning his attention back to his writing.

Curious, the thief leaned over to get a better look at what he was writing. "Why are you documenting everything that happened today? And with time stamps? This isn't one of your cases you know."

Scowling, Shinichi shut his notebook. "If you must know, I'm writing it all down so that when this is over I'll have some evidence that I'm not crazy and that this really happened. Ugh, Hattori's never going to believe this," he added to himself, voice growing quieter. Then he groaned as another thought struck. "How am I going to explain all this to Ran?"

"Worried about your girlfriend?" the magician asked mockingly.

"Ran is _not_ my girlfriend," he snapped. "We're best friends! I don't know why everyone thinks that just because we grew up together we have to get married one day or whatever! There's no unwritten rule in the universe that says childhood friends have to be couples. Heck, she was my _sister_ for two years for heaven's sake! I—"

"All right, all right! I get it," the magician interjected, raising both his hands in a placating gesture. "Sheesh, someone got up on the wrong side of the bed."

"And it's all your fault!" Shinichi snarled, all the frustrated confusion from earlier that day making an abrupt resurgence at the thief's apparent lack of concern for any of it. "If you hadn't stolen that stupid jewel we wouldn't be here! Has it even occurred to you that we might not be able to get back?"

There was a moment of ringing silence. Then Shinichi's breath left him in a rush and he closed his eyes. "Sorry, I didn't mean to snap . . ."

"No, I understand." The magician's voice grew serious as his grin faded. "And yes, Detective, it did occur to me. However, no amount of fretting on either of our parts is going to change anything either way."

Shinichi stared into grim, indigo eyes, reading in them the same fear that had been steadily growing in his own chest all day. It was the fear that he would never be able to see his friends or family again—that everything he knew might just have been torn away from him by a single moment in the moonlight and a single, ill chosen action. Unable to hold his gaze, Shinichi looked away.

They sat there in the living room for a long time after that, each lost in their own thoughts.

X

The following morning found Yugi and Joey taking the two travelers to the various sights of Domino since Malik wouldn't be bringing the jewel until late evening and KID insisted he wasn't about to leave the first other world he'd ever been to without a good look around. When asked about why Yami hadn't come with them, Yugi laughed (a bit nervously, Shinichi thought) and said that the other was resting but that he'd be there if they needed him. Shinichi had to admit that the day had been pleasant, even if he felt strange walking beside the Kaitou KID in casual wear, albeit with a baseball cap and his monocle still in place. He had to wonder if the thief found the situation as awkward as he felt, but if he did KID wasn't showing it.

About halfway through the tour Yugi had been accosted by several people wanting to duel him. That was when they'd learned that the boy was apparently some kind of gaming legend. As both KID and Shinichi were still fascinated by the technology, Yugi had ended up accepting a few of the challenges. This time the duels went uninterrupted with Joey giving the two travelers a running commentary and explaining the game.

"This really is incredible," KID remarked with a shake of the head as they made their way back to the game shop. "Who would have thought a card game could inspire the creation of such sophisticated technology."

"What I find interesting is how this game seems to have turned into a way to settle disputes," Shinichi mused. "Just imagine. If everyone could solve their differences just by playing a game . . ." But of course it probably wasn't that simple. Still . . .the idea was almost like a dream.

"We're here," Yugi announced as he pushed open the door to the game shop. "Do you guys want anything to drink?"

Yami joined them as they congregated in the living room once again (Shinichi noted absently that he hadn't seen the teen come in, but he must have just missed him). Joey ordered pizza and the rest of the evening was spent in casual conversation. The duelists wanted to know more about the world their visitors were from They were surprised to discover that Shinichi was a homicide detective and he found himself telling them about a few of his cases. He wound up mostly talking about the venture through the virtual reality RPG since he figured the gamers would find that more interesting and it wasn't as gruesome as many of the other cases he'd seen.

They had only just finished eating when Malik arrived with a triumphant grin on his face.

"I got it!" he announced the moment he was through the door. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out something green and tossed it to Yami who caught it deftly. There, resting in the palm of his hand, was a pyramid that looked like it had been made of dark green glass.

"Is this it?" he inquired, showing it to Shinichi and KID. They both nodded. Frowning, crimson eyes focused on the jewel as it was turned over and examined from all sides. Everyone else in the room waited with bated breath. Finally he nodded decisively to himself and sat back to regard them all with a serious expression. "From what I can tell, this translocater won't work for just anyone. The energy you two possess just happens to be compatible with it so it's bonded to you."

"Bonded?" Shinichi repeated. "How can a rock _bond_ with anything let alone a living organism?"

The look Yami was giving him was definitely amused. "Magic works with its own set of rules. And there are as many different types of magic out there as there are types of people. This particular 'rock' of yours really only seems to have two rules you need worry about. One, it cannot act unless it is in contact with at least two compatible sources of energy. It needs the contrast. As its current source is you two, it will continue to function for you two until one or both of you are no longer able, in which case it will become dormant again. And two, each time it does activate it must be reset again by exposure to moonlight before it can be used again."

"Can we make it take us home?" the magician asked.

Crimson eyes grew grim. "Not directly. Each time the gem is reset it randomly aligns itself to a different world. The shape it takes depends on which world that is, so that should give you some idea of the kind of world you're headed for, but again, it seems to be random. I can only assume it was created by someone with an extreme case of wanderlust."

Both Shinichi and KID fell silent at that revelation.

"But that doesn't mean you can't get home," Yugi pointed out hurriedly. "It just might take a bit of time."

"Yugi's right," Joey agreed. "You just need a little luck."

"And a great deal of patience," Malik muttered under his breath. "But hey, you never know. Magic has a way of coming full circle."

"Why don't we go outside?" Yugi suggested as he cast a glance out the window. "The moon's full tonight."

"Don't you need this though?" the magician asked, holding up the gem that Yami had just passed to him. "To fix those breeches that are letting the monsters through?"

"Now that I've examined the cause I can deal with it. You'll have to leave first anyway as it's likely your leaving will affect the realms the same way your arrival did."

X

The moon's silvery light gilded everything in pearl dust and diamonds as the four duelists, one detective, and one magician stood gathered in the game shop's backyard. Everyone watched as the magician held out his hand, palm up, with the glittering gem resting upon it. No one dared speak as the moon's touch ghosted pale fingers over its dark surfaces. For a moment there was nothing. Then the pyramid shaped stone shifted, smoothed, grew longer and thinner until it had become a long, thin cylinder.

Kaitou KID let out his breath in a hiss, a barely detectible flicker of disappointment flashing through his eyes. "Well, guess that answers that. Unknown destination it is."

Shinichi swallowed and nodded, not trusting himself to speak. It wasn't as though he'd expected they'd be lucky enough for it to just take them straight home, but part of him had still been hoping . . . Well, there was no help for it now.

"Hold on a moment," Yami said suddenly and Shinichi froze with his hand already halfway to the jewel. "You should take this with you." Stepping forward, the crimson-eyed duelist held out his right hand. It was empty, but he muttered something under his breath and suddenly it _wasn't_ empty. There was a card lying across his palm. "Take it."

Hesitantly, Shinichi picked up the card and peered at it in the moon's soft light. It was a Duel Monsters card. The name on the card read "Noah's Messenger". The image of a snow white dove carrying a twig in its beak while soaring through a sky spangled with stars was printed beneath the words. Below that was a short inscription that stated "[Winged Beast] _Quick and keen of eye, this little avian can find almost anything. ATK 1200 : DEF 1850_".

"Think of it as a guide."

"A guide?" the detective repeated, looking up from the card. "But how . . ." He trailed off as his eyes widened. The card was glowing. He let go of it involuntarily but it didn't fall. Instead it shifted and grew, filling out until it became the same bird that had been only a picture a moment ago. It chirruped at him as though in greeting and he backed away in surprise. It chirped again, sounding almost sad, and fluttered over to perch on KID's shoulder where it peered curiously under his hat brim and he peered curiously back.

Yami chuckled. "There's no need to be afraid of her. She will help you find what you need."

"Oh, uh, thank you . . ." Turning back to the dove-creature, who was looking at him again, Shinichi hesitated then looked down. "Sorry."

It—she?—cooed happily and KID laughed. "I guess it's time to go then."

"You know, you could always stay here a few more days if you want," Yugi offered. "I mean, we wouldn't mind."

Shinichi considered the idea for a moment then shook his head. "I think I'd rather go now before I lose my nerve. I'm ready to go now. I'm not sure I will be anymore if we wait longer. KID?"

"Kaito," the magician corrected, taking off his baseball cap and making it vanish in a puff of smoke before doing the same to his monocle. "Kuroba Kaito."

Shinichi stared at him for a moment, torn between surprise and the sudden impulse to turn around like he'd seen something he shouldn't. Which, in a way, he had. "What—"

"We might be traveling together for quite some time through who knows what kind of places. I don't know about you, but I don't think having to keep a lot of secrets from each other at the same time is going to make things any easier."

"I . . .suppose you're right," Shinichi agreed hesitantly. He could see the logic of it, of course, but it was still . . .odd, like some kind of rule had been broken. On the other hand, they were in another world. Now was not the time to be worrying about trivial things like KID unmasking himself. And, truth be told, it was kind of nice that the thief was willing to trust him with the information, despite the fact that he couldn't use it now even if he wanted to so the risk could be considered negligible. "I guess we should get going?"

"Yep. No time like the present."

"It was good meetin' you guys," Joey told them with an easy grin.

"Don't spend too much time looking back," Malik advised, lavender eyes twinkling.

"Good luck," Yugi said, offering them a reassuring smile. "I hope you guys get home soon."

"And be careful," Yami warned. "There are a lot of different worlds out there, and danger can take many forms."

"We'll keep that in mind," Shinichi assured them. "And thank you, for everything."

"We'll take good care of your gift," Kaito added, grinning as he stroked the little white bird with a finger. Farewells complete, he held the now long and thin stone out to Shinichi.

The moment both their hands were on the gem it flashed with white light, the world rippled like the surface of a lake that had just swallowed a pebble, and they were gone.

**TBC**

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**Next**: Aurors and Detectives, Magicians and Wizards (Harry Potter)

**A.N**: Questions, comments, etc, all welcome ^_^


	2. Aurors and Detectives

**A.N**: Thanks to everyone who reviewed, you're all very encouraging ^_^ Well, this chapter didn't turn out the way I thought it would and I'm not sure if I'm entirely happy with it, but here we go.

Disclaimer: I don't own DCMK or HP.

**NOTES**:

**Pairings**: I was reminded that I forgot to mention this, so here goes. This story will probably be KaiShin in the semi-distant future. You may have noticed the change in the summary outside. As for other pairs . . .I'm probably not going to touch on any in the worlds unless they're established, in which case they'll probably be whatever is normal for said world.

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2: Aurors and Detectives, Magicians and Wizards

(World 2: Harry Potter)

For the briefest of moments he felt grass beneath his shoes and saw the clear expanse of a pale, blue sky against which a European castle stood tall and stark, but then everything seemed to twist and jerk and he was falling. He landed on a hardwood floor with a thump, cracking the back of his head and sending stars spinning across his vision in shimmering waves. He groaned, squeezing his eyes shut in an attempt to make the spinning lights go away. Somewhere off to the side he heard a corresponding groan followed by a familiar voice.

"Ow. Man, the last landing wasn't this painful. Should've worn a helmet."

"Oh my god!" gasped an unfamiliar voice—in English. "Are you two all right?"

Startled, Shinichi sat bolt upright and immediately regretted it as his head throbbed. Biting back another moan of pain, he clutched at his temples, willing the ground to stop rocking.

"Well, this certainly is a surprise," Shinichi heard KI—Kaito mutter.

Off to the side in the same direction from which the female voice had spoken a male one hissed. "What did he say? I didn't understand a word."

"It sounded like Japanese," a third voice hissed back. "Oh no, what do we do if they don't speak English?"

At that point Shinichi cracked open one eye to peer across at the speakers. "We do speak English," he told them. "Or at least I do."

"As do I," Kaito announced in a flawless British accent. "Could one of you tell us where we are? I could have sworn I was headed somewhere with a lot of tall, dark trees."

On the other side of the small room, two boys in their late teens and a girl turned to look at him. They were all dressed in what Shinichi could only call robes and their faces were adorned with almost identical expressions of confused anxiety—though the girl with the bushy brown hair was also exuding an air of exasperation. They were also each carrying a thin, wooden stick which reminded Shinichi of the shape the gemstone had taken.

At the thought of the gem he opened his eyes completely and made a quick search of the room. It was nowhere to be seen. Other than the five humans currently occupying it, the only other things in the room was a stack of books, several sheets of paper, and an assortment of chalk, rulers, and tape measures. The floor was covered in chalk diagrams and the windows were covered by heavy curtains through which barely any sunlight could seep. The only real light in the room came from the ball of fire which was . . .which was . . .

Floating above their heads in the middle of the room.

Shinichi stared. He would have gone on staring if the tall, redheaded stranger hadn't decided to answer Kaito's question.

"This is one of the Ministry's auror train—ow! Harry, what was that for?"

"You aren't supposed to just tell people that," the dark haired one hissed at the redhead so quietly that Shinichi wouldn't have heard him if he hadn't been straining his ears.

Kaito coughed pointedly to get the strangers' attention. "Forgive me if I'm wrong, but as you three are apparently responsible for the redirection of our travels to this lovely storage chamber, I feel it would only be fair that you give us an explanation."

Now the three looked embarrassed as they traded silent, meaningful looks. It was obvious they had known each other for a very long time. They interacted with the natural ease of people who could all but read each other's minds.

"Can we ask you a question first?" the girl inquired.

"You can," the thief replied amiably, "though we might not answer."

That got a few raised eyebrows but the girl, who was apparently the strangers' current spokesman, continued. "What were you doing before you, um, got here?"

Kaito glanced over at Shinichi who shrugged a bit helplessly. Would these people think they were crazy if they told the truth? Then again, there was _a ball of fire floating above their heads_. Anyone who didn't find that strange probably had an open mind when it came to inter-dimensional travel.

"We were translocating," the magician said finally, recalling a term Yami had used in reference to their (not so accommodating) ride. "Incidentally, does this world of yours play complex card games with giant holographic monsters?"

The three strangers stared.

"Um . . .no?" the redhead ventured after several seconds had gone by with no one making a move to speak. "What are you talking about?"

"Translocating?" the black haired boy asked, obviously having decided to focus on the less weird bits of the question. "Is that another term for apparating?"

Shinichi fought the urge to sigh. Was there going to be a new set of vocabulary for every world they came to? "I'm sorry, but what's apparating?"

"It's—like teleporting," the boy explained. "You know, when you disappear from one place and end up somewhere else without having to walk in between."

"That sounds about right," the detective mused. "Is that common around here?"

"Only if you can pass the licensing test," the redhead supplied.

"Is it different where you're from?" the girl asked curiously. "There isn't much in the books I've read about apparition regulations in Asian countries."

Kaito laughed. "I don't think they care about these sorts of things where we're from. Most people in our world don't believe in magic."

The girl's expression went from curious to puzzled as her companions traded similar looks. "Your world? You mentioned something about that before too, but I thought . . ." She trailed off and her dark haired friend picked up the questioning with a half confused half intrigued look on his face.

"Are you saying you're actually from a different world?"

Kaito nodded (too cheerfully, in Shinichi's opinion). "Yep. This is our second cross-world jump actually. Though, as I said before, I don't think we were headed to this particular location before. So, now that we've answered your question, shouldn't you answer ours?"

Now the three traded guilty looks before all three pairs of eyes turned to focus on a spot on the floor. The two travelers followed their combined gaze first to the chalked designs on the bare, wooden floor, then to the book that lay amidst one of the circular diagrams linked to the one they were currently sitting in. Shinichi blinked. He recognized that cover.

"Is that a copy of _A Study in Scarlet_?"

"Yeah . . ." The red haired boy scratched the back of his head in obvious embarrassment. "We, uh, were supposed to read it for our Deductive Reasoning class. That's kinda how this whole thing got started . . ."

"So . . .we're here because you were assigned a book to read?" Shinichi couldn't suppress the incredulity in his voice so he didn't try. "How?"

"We were going to try this new spell we found," the other boy explained, pushing his glasses farther up his nose. "It was supposed to let us go into the book."

"You mean you were going to go into _A Study in Scarlet_? As in actually _inside_ the story?"

"Uh oh, now Tantei-kun will want to go," Kaito murmured, torn between rolling his eyes at all the hype over a fictional detective novel and laughing at the starry-eyed expression on Shinichi's face. He hadn't realized the detective could actually pull off looking like an excited five-year-old—while being full grown no less.

"That was the idea," the redhead said a bit sheepishly. "But the spell doesn't seem to work."

"Of course it doesn't," the girl snapped, exasperation clear in her every syllable. "I already _told_ you it wouldn't! It was the end result of a failed study into allowing books to be experienced visually—like a 3D movie. But the human imagination was found to be too much of a factor in the reading experience, and since imagination is something that can't be predicted they gave up on the project. Next time when you get lazy and don't want to read go rent the movie!"

"So it doesn't work?" Shinichi's face fell and he sounded like someone whose favorite pet had just died.

Kaito started to laugh but he turned it into a cough when the detective shot him a glare. "Cheer up Tantei-kun. You never know, maybe one of our hops will land us in a world where your idol isn't fictional."

Blue eyes brightened so quickly it was almost creepy. "Do you think that's possible?"

Struggling to hold back another laugh (of the rolling around on the ground sort), the magician shrugged. "Hey, everything's possible. However," he added, turning his attention back to the three strangers. "I'm not sure what your attempt at traversing fiction has to do with us."

"I suppose you guys must have been mid-travel spell when we cast ours," the girl mused, frowning. "It's possible that our spell somehow linked itself to yours since you were traveling from another world and we were, in effect, trying to get to one. Since the world we wanted to go to doesn't exist the spell latched on to something that felt like what we were asking it for."

The room fell silent as its occupants sorted through the past several minutes in varying degrees of thoughtfulness. Finally the silence was broken by a soft, inquiring coo. Four pairs of startled eyes turned to Kaito from whom the distinctly inhuman sound had originated. A small, white bird peered out from where it had sort of hidden itself from view behind the magician's head.

"Uh, is that a bird?" the redhead asked finally. There was a beat of absolute silence, then laughter broke out throughout the room and the tension shattered like so much broken glass.

"We're sorry about dragging you here," the black haired boy said. "We didn't mean to, but we'll do our best to help you get back to wherever you were going. I'm Harry by the way—Harry Potter."

"Kaito Kuroba. And that's all right. We weren't headed anywhere in particular anyway. We just need to find our translocater and we can be on our way. Although we would appreciate it if you could put us up for a few days while we look . . .?"

X

Shinichi shifted uncomfortably, fiddling with the sleeves of the black robes the girl called Hermione had resized for him (meaning she had pointed a stick she called a wand at the piece of clothing and it had writhed and shifted like a living thing until it fit him). He still couldn't quite believe he was wearing it. The moment it started wiggling again he was changing back into his own clothes and never touching it again. He felt like someone about to go out on Halloween, but apparently wizards and witches in this world really did dress in robes on a daily basis. Wizards and witches . . . Now there were terms that he definitely needed to work on not stumbling over if he was going to be staying here for any length of time.

Apparently he and Kaito had landed in a training academy for a type of magic user called an auror. From what Harry had told them it sounded like these aurors were the wizarding world's equivalent of police. It was a top secret facility and, as outsiders, he and Kaito should, according to academy policy, have had their memories wiped and been sent away. Shinichi hadn't liked that idea at all. For one, it struck him as a huge invasion of privacy to tamper with someone else's memories. Memories made up so much of who a person was. What could possibly give one person the right to decide that another should or should not be allowed to remember something? The mere thought of it made him feel slightly ill. On a less moralistic note however, having holes in their memory could only be detrimental in Kaito's and his current situation. Luckily, their three hosts apparently understood this. They also agreed that, as the travelers weren't technically even from their world, the usual rules of the academy probably couldn't be applied. Anyhow, it had been decided that it would be easiest, and probably safest, if the two travelers were to temporarily take on the role of students.

They were in luck, the redheaded Ron Weasly had told them, because there were a handful of students who had been unable to make it to the beginning of term for one reason or another who were scheduled to arrive that very afternoon. And most of their classes wouldn't involve practical spell work for another few weeks. Aurors liked to make sure their trainees were well grounded before letting them go at each other with real spells. Hopefully they would be able to find their translocater before they had to figure out how the two non-wizards were going to con their way through practicals.

And that was why Shinichi was now dressed in borrowed robes standing with a similarly garbed but much less nervous Kaito and a handful of strangers. Less than an hour ago he had watched with mixed feelings as his travel companion and their hosts broke into the academy's records room so that the thief could forge their registration papers. It was slightly disturbing how quickly the whole matter had been accomplished.

"My name is Grayson Rook," the grim-faced man now standing in front of the new arrivals announced. "You will refer to me as Professor Rook. As you know, special circumstances have led to your delayed arrival. Consider yourselves honored. We expect every last one of you to work extra hard to make sure you catch up to the rest of your classmates and do not fall behind. While you are here you are expected to work hard and to treat your fellow students and instructors with the utmost respect. You are responsible for all your actions and the maintenance of order both of your own schedules and quarters, etc. Rooms will be inspected regularly. The rules of the academy can all be found in the academy guide you will find in your rooms. Anyone found to be in violation of any of our policies will be removed from the premises immediately. There will be no second chances."

"What a jolly personality," Kaito murmured so quietly that only Shinichi could hear him.

The man continued on in a similar vein for nearly an entire hour before handing out the keys to their assigned rooms and ordering them to familiarize themselves with the facilities and not be late to their classes on the morrow. The two travelers had been put in the same dormitory as their coconspirators and given a room right next to Harry and Ron's and across from two girls by the names of Lilly Lovelace and Caroline Hittlemer. Being at the end of the hall, their room had two windows instead of the standard one and a rather nice view of a dark, glassy lake.

The first thing Kaito did upon entering the room was to throw open both windows and let the bird who'd spent almost the entire day perched on his shoulder sidle onto one windowsill. Dropping with a sigh onto one of the beds, Shinichi watched the bird begin to preen itself. Then he frowned. There were two doves on the sill. He recognized the Duel Monster from its blue eyes, but the other one . . . Turning, his head, he wasn't particularly surprised to find Kaito grinning at him.

"How many of them do you have with you?"

The magician laughed. "Let's see." There was a sudden flurry of white feathers and where there had been two doves now there were six. "I guess that makes five discounting Aome. Don't worry, they're all very well trained if I do say so myself."

Shinichi rolled his eyes then paused. "Aome?"

"Well, _Noah's Messenger_ is hardly name material, and everyone should have a name, no?"

"I guess," Shinichi assented, eyeing the bird in question. "At least it'll be easy to remember. I don't suppose you have any ideas how she's supposed to be our guide?"

As if on cue, the bird in question turned its head to look at him with an inquiring coo.

"Maybe we should ask?" the magician suggested. "She does seem to understand that we're talking about her."

Shinichi gave him a look. "Are you serious?"

"Of course. No harm in trying, right?" Reaching over, Kaito offered a finger to Aome who hopped obligingly onto it. With the ease of someone well used to the handling of animals, he lifted her up to eye level and asked conversationally, "Could you see if you can find our translocater for us? You know, the long green stone we had that brought us here?"

Shinichi watched the performance a bit skeptically, but it seemed that Kaito might be right and the bird did understand human speech for it bobbed its head as though in agreement to the magician's request before spreading its wings and disappearing in a white streak through one of the open windows. Both the detective and the magician watched the open window for a while but there was no sign of the bird, returning or otherwise.

"I guess we wait then." Kaito flopped onto the other bed and laughed. "We're in a school for witches and wizards! Can you believe it? This is going to be awesome!"

Shinichi could only shake his head. "You really seem to be enjoying this."

He was answered by an all too familiar smirk. "And I say you should try and do the same. What's the point of world hopping if we can't have a little fun? This is a once in a lifetime chance we've got here! Don't tell me you aren't at least a little curious about what else could be out there."

"I . . .guess it _is_ pretty interesting," Shinichi admitted after a moment's pause. "But you can't say it isn't bizarre."

"Ah, but that's where all the fun comes in."

Shinichi found himself laughing too, though he wasn't sure if it was out of strain or relief. "It's all about the fun with you, isn't it?"

The magician hummed in agreement, producing several balls and beginning to juggle. "What's the point of living if you can't enjoy it? When the shadows creep in it's up to you to light the light. Others can help, but in the end whether you let the shadows win is a choice and no one can make it for you." He paused, turning serious, indigo eyes to meet Shinichi's surprised gaze. "Wouldn't you agree, Detective?" Without waiting for an answer he bounded to his feet and every last one of his juggling balls exploded into a cloud of multicolored confetti. All signs of seriousness vanished with the balls and he grinned, mischief bright in indigo eyes. "Come on Tantei-kun, we're supposed to _familiarize_ ourselves with the facilities. We have an hour before dinner right? So let's go familiarize."

Shinichi had the strong impression that "snoop" would be a better word for whatever they were about to do, but he stood up anyway and helped close the windows before following the magician out the door. Like it or not, they were stuck here for a while, and maybe Kaito had a point. This _was_ a once in a lifetime experience, why waste it? He was a detective anyway so he had every right to be nosy.

X

By the end of their first dinner Kaito's name was known by every student and teacher in the complex. By the end of their second day he was getting show requests from assorted students. Apparently people who could do real magic were even less prone to looking for the trick than the average human being and Kaito was having the time of his life watching the wizards scratch their heads and try to figure out what kind of spells he was using, especially since they could never find his wand.

The classes themselves were strange but interesting. Or at least they were for the first few days. There was, Kaito thought, only so long listening to people drone about stuff you couldn't do could be interesting. Not, frankly, that he felt any desire to be able to do what they did. There was no fun pointing a stick and just having things happen, that just made things too easy, but it was good to know what these people could and couldn't do. After all, he needed to know that in order to find ways around them or to emulate them on his own terms. Now _that_ was interesting. It would also come in handy if they were still around when practical spell work began.

As time wore on, Kaito found himself observing his fellow students more than the class materials. People-watching had always been a hobby of his and there was certainly no lack of subjects. For instance, he noted with great amusement that Shinichi was actually taking notes on their lessons. The detective was also spending long hours in the library reading what looked to Kaito like every book he could lay his hands on. Why he was doing this the magician wasn't sure, but he suspected it was Shinichi's way of finding some sense of security. He was really quite impressed at how well the detective was dealing with the situation. If he'd thought about it, he'd probably have expected someone so logical to have freaked out by now. He was pretty sure the situation would probably have shut Hakuba down for at least a day or two, but he supposed that just meant there were different types of logical.

Pulling his gaze from the hurriedly scribbling detective, Kaito turned his attention to the rest of their rather small class. Other than Harry, Ron, and Hermione—their original welcoming party—there were four boys and three girls, all of whom occupied rooms located in the same dorm he and Shinichi had been assigned. Apparently each class was encouraged to spend as much time together as possible in order to get to know each other in the hopes that it would improve future performance where they would very likely have to work together. Of the rest of the students, two had turned out to be old school friends of Harry and company and been introduced to the travelers as Dean Thomas, who liked soccer almost as much as Shinichi did, and Nevile Longbottom, who was rather skittish but obviously dedicated. The former had been one of the late arrival group he and Shinichi had 'come in with' due to some kind of urgent family matter. The remaining male students consisted of a lanky, darkly tanned youth named Johan Skitt and his large, silent roommate Ector Lyne. Neither of them struck Kaito as particularly interesting people, though apparently Johan was supposed to be an expert in what they called wizard dueling. He'd done a bit of research on the subject and extracted a promise from Harry and his friends that they would give him a demonstration some time. It was against the rules for dueling to occur without a supervising instructor present and the dueling grounds wouldn't be open to entry level students for another few weeks. The demonstration therefore had to wait, but at the rate things were going the magician felt they probably had all the time in the world. Aome hadn't returned since her impromptu departure via dormitory window and neither he nor Shinichi had seen or heard of anything that might resemble their jewel. Their three hosts had vowed to help them find it—apparently still feeling a bit guilty—but they hadn't made much headway either. Hopefully the thing hadn't landed where they were originally going to set down or they might end up having to search the country. That would be just what they needed. Anyhow, that left the three girls, two of whom where his and Shinichi's neighbors from across the hall. The last was Hermione's roommate Annemarie Bovell, a pretty but painfully shy girl who stuttered if she had to say more than one sentence at a time.

"Mr. Kuroba! Are you paying attention to anything I'm saying?"

Turning back to Professor Rook, Kaito offered the glaring man his best good-student smile. "Of course I am." It wasn't entirely a lie really. This instructor taught about disguise and concealment, subjects the thief found interesting for various reasons, so he'd made a point to keep an ear tuned in to the lecture. Though frankly he doubted there was anything they could teach him.

"Then you won't mind coming up here and demonstrating one of the charms I have been explaining," the man stated with a very pointed look. "As we are not technically supposed to start practical work until next, next week, I will allow you to choose which charm you will attempt."

Harry and company paled as Shinichi shot Kaito a worried look, but the magician just allowed his smile to widen into a grin and bounded up out of his seat and up to stand in front of the class. Spinning on his heel to face the rest of the students, he swept them all a deep bow. There was a puff of blue smoke and when it cleared the students all stared. There were now two Professor Rooks standing at the front of the classroom.

"Well that's . . .certainly impressive," both Rooks admitted reluctantly, stopped, and stared at each other with matching expressions of shocked confusion.

In his seat, Shinichi was torn between groaning and laughing. It just seemed like such a typically KID thing to do and he found himself wondering if the magician pulled this kind of thing when he was in his own school. It had to drive all the teachers nuts.

"Stop that!" the professors snapped. At this point both of them looked like they were about to blow a gasket.

Getting up hurriedly from his seat, Shinichi made his way to the front of the room where both men shot him equally unwelcoming glares.

"Go back to your seat!" they both demanded before shooting each other venomous looks.

"I'm sorry," Shinichi said, bowing to one of the professors before he turned to the other one with a frown. When their eyes met he caught the faintest glimmers of amusement—and was that a _wink_? Shinichi reached out quickly, pinched the 'professor's' cheek, and pulled. Several people in the class screamed and Nevile fell out of his chair with a loud thud when the face came away—it probably looked rather grizzly to people who couldn't even begin to suspect what was really going on—only to gasp in shock when they were met with Kaito's laughing face. There was another plume of smoke, white this time, and the magician was himself again.

"And that," he announced in mock serious tones, "is what we call a disguise." Chuckling at their stunned stares, he swept them another bow and dragged Shinichi back to their seats, leaving the temporarily speechless Professor Rook frozen by the blackboard.

"You know, I'm surprised Rook didn't give you detention," Shinichi couldn't help but tell the magician later that day after they had retired to their dorm for the night.

He could hear Kaito laugh from the other side of the room. "Me too actually, but hey, why look a gift horse in the mouth right?"

"Maybe he just didn't want to have to spend more time in your presence."

"It wouldn't be the first time," came the cheery reply and Shinichi could practically hear the grin.

"I don't suppose you pull these kinds of stunts at your own school too?"

"It alleviates boredom and helps people relieve stress," Kaito declared.

"Right . . ." the detective replied skeptically, recalling Rook's anger-reddened face. "Does it relieve enough stress to compensate for the stress it causes?"

"That would depend on who you asked. Aoko'd probably say no."

Shinichi blinked up at the dark ceiling, turning the name over in his head. It sounded oddly familiar. "A friend of yours?"

"Yeah. Nakamori Aoko. You might have met her before at one of my heists."

"Nakamori?" Shinichi repeated. "She's not related to Nakamori-keibu is she?"

"His daughter actually," the magician chuckled. "She'll probably kill me if she ever finds out I'm KID."

Shinichi cast a sidelong look towards Kaito at that even though he couldn't see anything in the dark. The magician had made the comment in the same light, cheery manner as everything else, but for a moment he could have sworn he'd detected a hint of resigned bitterness in the words.

"Even if you told her why?" he asked finally, not entirely sure it was his place to say but feeling like he had to say something.

Kaito was silent for a long moment before he spoke. "To some people the world is black and white. Not everyone reacts well to having those lines blurred for them, and for most it would probably be kinder not to. It's hard to believe in white if there are too many shades of gray."

There was another long stretch of silence before Shinichi let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding in a quiet sigh. "Sometimes the only choice we have is between the frying pan and the fire."

Kaito chuckled, the sound half amused half wistful. "Yeah."

X

It was late on their sixth evening when Aome finally reappeared. Kaito had been feeding his doves and Shinichi had had his nose buried in yet another record of wizard history when a tapping at the window drew their attention away from their respective tasks. Reaching over, Kaito unlocked and opened the window and in came the small, blue-eyed bird. He offered it his hand but instead of landing it fluttered in circles around both travelers' heads, chirping excitedly. Then it darted out the open window and back again to repeat the whole cycle.

"Well, I'd say it's fairly obvious what she wants," Kaito mused, doling out the rest of the crumbs he'd been feeding his doves with and moving over to the window. "Coming, Tantei-kun?"

The two of them climbed out the window and followed Aome's pale form as it flitted through the darkness. Slightly damp grass rustled beneath their feet but otherwise the only sound to be heard in the stillness of the night was the soft chirps and buzz of insects and the occasional hoot of an owl. Almost all the lights in the complex had been turned off or dimmed but the sky was clear and the mixture of star and moonlight was just enough to help light the way. The two travelers followed the bird up to and along the side of the academy's main building for several minutes before Aome banked her wings and landed on a windowsill to peck at the darkened glass.

Gliding silently up to the indicated window, Kaito peered inside. Seeing only an empty corridor, he fiddled around for a moment then opened the window and slipped over the sill. Shinichi let out a quiet sigh before following. Once they were both inside, Aome took off again and led them down the deserted hallway. Oddly enough, the window that they had come through was the last one they saw before they came up to a dead end. Here the bird cooed softly, pecked the wall once, then flew back to land on Shinichi's shoulder. The detective and the magician traded equally confused looks before moving to inspect the wall in question.

It looked for all intents and purposes like a smooth, stone wall. Totally unremarkable. But upon closer inspection the stone it was composed of was of a slightly different shade than the stone of the corridor walls. Otherwise however the wall seemed normal. Leaning against its cool surface, Shinichi pressed his ear against the stone, but he couldn't hear anything. Beside him, Kaito raised a fist and tapped the wall with his knuckles.

"Sounds solid enough," he murmured, stepping back—only to halt abruptly in mid step.

Confused, Shinichi turned around to follow his gaze. He blinked, rubbed his eyes, and looked again. He was one hundred percent sure that the wall had been blank, but now it just as clearly wasn't. On the wall, written in glowing, silver lines of light, were several lines of text.

_To those who need_

_Step back and see_

_To those who greed_

_Turn back for thee_

_Shall find no fortunes_

_But those you reap_

_Ill intentions to ill ends lead_

"Ah, so it's some kind of treasure vault," Kaito breathed, a delighted gleam in his eyes. "Am I right in assuming then that our sparkly friend is behind this wall?"

On Shinichi's shoulder, Aome cooed and bobbed her head up and down.

"Well, I have yet to meet a vault I couldn't break into."

"That's hardly something to brag about."

"I beg to differ! A skill is a skill is a skill. You do want the translocater back, don't you?"

"Of course I do," Shinichi sighed, giving the wall a resigned look and absently noting that the silvery message was fading. It had probably been triggered by the wall being knocked on and set to fade if the wall went untouched for a set period of time after it was triggered. "Has it crossed your mind that this vault was made by wizards? It might have to be opened with some kind of spell."

"There is always another way for those who look. We just have to think about it," the thief pointed out, unperturbed. "Besides, the way in may just as easily not need a spell. That little poem for instance looks promising to me."

"True," Shinichi assented, pulling out his notebook automatically to jot the poem down. He grimaced inwardly when he realized that he was discussing how to break into a magical vault with a master thief. On the other hand there weren't really any other choices to be had. Their ticket home might very well be on the other side of that wall, and they weren't going to take anything else.

Kaito must have guessed what he was thinking because he reached over and gave Shinichi a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "If it makes you feel any better, that jewel is practically ours anyway. We'll just be taking it back. It's like retrieving a ball from a neighbor's yard."

They retreated back to the window once Shinichi was done writing and made their way back to their room. As they approached however they were surprised to see lights shining from several windows that had been dark before. Once they were back inside their room they could also hear raised voices coming from the corridor outside their door. Striding quickly across the room, Shinichi looked outside to find several students gathered in the hall. In fact, a quick headcount showed that their entire class—and therefore their entire dormitory—was there. Everyone was ringed around the shaking form of a girl Shinichi recognized as Lilly Lovelace. She was holding her hands awkwardly, her face set into a pained grimace. The detective's trained eyes noticed the sign of fresh burns all over her fingers, palms, and the insides of her wrists.

Hermione was pushing through the spectators as Shinichi and Kaito arrived. She had several long strips of linen in her hands along with her wand and a small jar of cream colored ointment.

"What's going on?" Shinichi asked, turning to the nearest student who happened to be Ron.

"Not sure," the redhead replied with a confused frown. "I was sleeping then there was this scream and everyone came out here. That's when we saw Lilly there."

"It was that letter!" the girl Shinichi recognized as Lilly's roommate exclaimed, her own face pale. "She got a letter. I'm not sure what it said or when it got here but she was holding it when it just caught fire."

"Was it a howler?" Harry asked.

The roommate, Caroline, shook her head. "It didn't say anything—and the envelope wasn't red."

"Do you know who sent it?" Johan inquired, edging past several students to peer into the still open door of the girls' room.

"It wasn't signed. I came back from the bathroom and it was lying on my desk."

Everyone's attention turned to Lilly at the sound of her slightly strained voice. She had recollected herself as Hermione muttered incantations over her blistered hands and was gazing back at them all with a semi-defiant air that made Shinichi's eyebrows rise. It seemed almost like she was facing down a challenge.

"So . . .what did it say?" Harry prompted when the girl didn't say anything more. She cast him an unreadable look before answering.

"Leave."

There was a long moment of silence before Dean spoke up, sounding just as baffled as everyone else in the corridor looked. "Is that it?"

Lilly's eyes narrowed as she focused in on him. "Yes," she snapped. "Were you expecting more?"

"No, no, of course not." He put up his hands as he took an involuntary step back. "I was just asking—I mean, leave? Why would anyone send you a letter if that's all they had to say?"

"I would have thought that would be obvious. Whoever it was doesn't like the fact that I'm here and wants me gone."

"But why would someone want you gone?" Shinichi asked, edging forward a little so that he could get a better look at Lilly's face. For the briefest of moments an expression of pain flashed across the girl's features before her expression hardened and she glared at him.

"I don't know. I suppose they just don't like me."

An obvious lie, he noted, but the set of her shoulders and clench of her jaw indicated that she wasn't about to explain. And here he didn't have any authority to ask.

"We should tell the teachers," Harry said, frowning.

But Lilly shook her head, sending them all a hard look. "No! It's just a stupid letter."

"Yeah, that exploded," Dean muttered. "I agree with Harry. This kind of thing should be reported."

"Well it was my letter and I say no. It's just a prank. There's no point making a big fuss over it." The finality of her tone brooked no argument and she turned to Hermione with a short bow. "Thank you for treating the burns."

"Oh, um, you're welcome. This is my first time dealing with that particular healing charm though so if they start hurting again you should go see the nurse."

"I will. Thank you again." Without another word, she turned on her heels and marched back into her room. Her roommate glanced at the rest of the students with a helpless shrug then followed her in. Their door shut with an audible click.

"That was . . .interesting," Johan remarked into the ensuing silence. "I guess I'll be headed back to bed too then. Night."

"W—wait."

All eyes turned in surprise at the quiet voice to find Annemarie. She turned red and shuffled a bit where she stood. "I—I just thought we should . . .you know, try to—to figure out who sent it. I mean—it didn't arrive by owl, right? So—so it might be, you know, someone here . . ."

"No one here would do that," Ector spoke up for the first time that night, a frown making its way onto his broad, naturally placid face. "We have no reason to wish any ill upon a fellow student. We are all here for the same goal. We will be comrades in the future. Such tactics would be beneath any decent man or woman who seeks as we do to become the seekers of justice."

The others all stared at him for a moment, many visibly working out what exactly he had said, before Johan cleared his throat and agreed. "He's right, so let's just go back to sleep. We've still got classes in the morning, remember?" That said, he cast one last look around at the others before disappearing into his room. His roommate followed suit.

"Maybe we should talk more about this tomorrow," Hermione suggested to the remaining students. Murmurs of agreement skittered around the hall and the students retreated to their respective dorms.

It wasn't until Shinichi saw Kaito idly shuffling a deck of cards in their room that he suddenly realizing that he hadn't seen the other traveler since they'd arrived on the scene of the aftermath of Lilly's anonymous, combusting letter.

"Where were you?" he asked.

The magician shrugged but he had that anything-but-innocent grin on his face. "I just went to have a look-see in Miss Lovelace's room."

Shinichi glared. "You snuck into her room?"

The magician dismissed the accusation with a careless wave. "While you were all talking. You can stop looking at me like that. I only went because I thought you'd want to know what was there. All considered you can't go snooping around yourself."

"I don't snoop," the detective said a bit defensively. "It's my job to investigate things. It's different."

Kaito shot him an amused look. "Call it what you like, it's still snooping."

Deciding it was pointless to try and argue the point, Shinichi moved back to his bed and the book he'd abandoned on it upon Aome's return. "So what did you find?"

Kaito shot him a knowing smirk which he diligently ignored before answering. "Well, there were ashes all over the floor. Looked like she tried to run out of her room when the thing caught fire. They left the window open too though there's this huge, thorny bush thing outside. Never seen the breed before."

"I don't suppose the envelope was still there?"

"Not a trace."

Shinichi sighed, flopping onto his back and staring at the plain, white ceiling. "I guess for all I could tell someone magicked it in there. It could've been anyone."

Kaito hid a smile at how disgruntled the detective sounded. "Actually, there are apparently a lot of spells on this place to stop people from, ah, _magicking_ themselves into other people's private spaces. The details are in that guide book they gave out when we first got here."

Shinichi blinked, processing the information, then sat up abruptly and pulled open his desk drawer in search of the guide in question. He emerged with it and a triumphant grin a few seconds later and returned to the bed to read. Kaito watched him for a moment then snapped his fingers. Instantly the lights went out.

"Hey!" Shinichi squawked in surprise. "I'm trying to read something here!"

"And if we don't sleep now we'll probably miss breakfast. You can read it tomorrow."

X

Despite the fact that several of the students professed the belief that the combusting letter had been an ill considered but once-in-a-lifetime prank, Harry, Ron, and Hermione were often to be found working on a timetable of people's locations with occasional imput from the other students. Shinichi noted with approval that they'd done a pretty thorough job. According to their chart, there was only a fifteen minute slot of time during which Lilly had been in the bathroom that the letter could have been placed on her desk. During that time, Dean and Nevile had been engaged in a game of wizard chess—an alibi confirmed, to Shinichi's great befuddlement, by the game pieces themselves (it was frankly kind of creepy. Moving paintings? Fine, they were like interactive television screens, but little wooden game pieces that moved and talked and gave their players bad advice . . .). Other than those two however most everyone had had a chance to be the person behind the so-called prank. Well, there was Shinichi himself and Kaito who couldn't be at fault due to their inability to do wizard magic, but other than that . . . Annemarie had been on her way back from the library. Both Hermione and Ector had been alone in their rooms studying. Johan had been out jogging. And Harry, Ron, and Caroline had all been asleep.

"Which means Caroline's the one with the most opportunity," Harry concluded. "Since someone else would have to make sure she didn't wake up and catch them at it."

"Though if it was someone else he or she probably levitated the letter in through the window," Hermione mused, tapping thoughtfully on the timetable. "Well, at least we don't have to wonder if it was someone from a different dorm. Their window looks into our dorm's personal yard and this complex has a lot of anti-broom spells on it."

"What I don't get is why someone would send a letter like that," Ron said. "I mean, you can't possibly not realize something like that could really hurt someone."

"Says the person whose brothers made candy that causes tongues to swell to unnatural sizes."

At that point the investigation had come up to a dead end. Although, Kaito noted, if the number of family record books Shinichi was bringing back from the library these days was any indication the dead end was actually still twitching.

It was Friday of the week after the combusting letter incident that they discovered for sure that said letter hadn't been a freak prank.

They had been assigned individual projects focused on assorted part-humans. The beaky instructor for the Magical Society class had had them draw lots to see who would be doing their project and presentation on what species. For once, Kaito's luck had turned on him and he'd drawn the merfolk card. He'd spent the rest of that day trailing after Shinichi and employing every trick he could think of to try and get the detective to trade topics with him.

"Honestly, I thought you'd like studying mermaids," Shinichi had snapped at him finally.

Kaito had shuddered violently at the very thought. "Perish the notion!"

Propping his chin up on one hand, Shinichi eyed the magician seated across the library table from him with a frown. "What's your problem anyway? Or are you really that interested in harpies?"

"Not particularly no," Kaito replied before pausing and looking away. "I just—don't like fish very much."

Shinichi waited but apparently he wasn't going to be getting any more of an explanation than that. Heaving a longsuffering sigh, he pushed the books he'd been reading across the table to the startled magician. "Fine, you can do harpies and I'll look up the merpeople. Happy now?"

Kaito's face split into an impossibly wide grin and he vaulted right over the table—stacks of books and all—to give Shinichi a bone-crushing hug, eliciting an undignified squawk of protest which he ignored.

"Thank you!" he crowed, letting go of the winded detective and sweeping up the research material he'd just been handed. "Oh and by the way, I think I might know how to get our gem back."

Shinichi jerked bolt upright in his chair. "What? You do? How?"

"It's a secret! We'll just have to find time to try it."

The detective groaned. "Why can't you just tell me?"

"Now where would the fun be in that?"

Shinichi opened his mouth to comment but the distant but unmistakable sound of a scream brought both their heads around. Kaito dropped the books back on the table as Shinichi leapt to his feet, knocking over his chair in his haste and sending it clattering loudly across the hardwood floor.

The source of the scream was standing in the courtyard right outside the library with her back pressed flat against the library wall and her face the color of paper. One of her hands was clenched in front of her throat as the other clutched at her robes. She didn't appear to be injured. Following her terrified gaze, they saw that her book bag had been dropped a few yards away, its contents strewn across the ground as though said bag had been thrown aside while wide open. And there, lying in gleaming coils by the mouth of the bag, was a snake. Judging from the pattern and the shape of the head it was probably a common adder, Shinichi noted, most likely female from its brownish coloring. They were venomous, but their bites usually weren't fatal. But adders were timid snakes. What was one doing here in the middle of a human establishment?

"Are you all right?" Kaito asked, approaching the frozen girl with cautious steps. "Did you get bitten?"

Lilly's eyes flickered to the two travelers then back to the snake like a moth being drawn to a flame. But the color was gradually returning to her face and her hands relaxed to fall limply to her sides. "N—no, it just—it was in my bag and I.." She swallowed, making a visible effort to recollect her thoughts. "It—startled me."

"In your bag?" Shinichi repeated, shocked and slightly disturbed. Unlikely to be fatal or not, adder bites were painful and poison was still poison.

The girl nodded. "I—I was just checking to make sure I remembered to bring the book I was returning and I felt it in there moving and . . ." She trialed off, her entire body shuddering in obvious revulsion.

It was at that moment that Harry, Hermione, and Ron came charging around the corner of the library. They skidded to a halt at the scene before them before turning confused eyes to Lilly and the travelers. Kaito waved them over and the three summarized what had happened.

"That's awful," Hermione exclaimed in outrage. "Are you sure you're all right?"

Lilly nodded, looking down at her feet, her mouth pressed into a thin line. The others traded looks.

"Someone must have put it there," Shinichi said a bit hesitantly, watching the others faces. Their lack of surprise confirmed that they had come to the same conclusion.

"Give me a moment," Harry said before walking towards the snake. Confused, Shinichi watched as the dark haired wizard knelt down in front of the snake—which, oddly enough, neither ran away nor moved to attack him—and began to make hissing sounds. When he stopped, the snake hissed back. This went on for several minutes as Shinichi stared. It looked . . .like two people having a conversation.

"Are they talking?" Kaito asked from somewhere behind him, sounding more interested than surprised.

"Yeah," Ron replied offhandedly. "Harry speaks parseltongue."

"I assume that means snake-ese?"

"Yep."

Harry straightened from his conversation and the adder slithered away with an almost purposeful air. The wizard watched it go for a moment before turning to rejoin the group around Lilly.

"She said someone caught her on the edge of the woods across the lake yesterday afternoon," he announced. "I think she was stunned. She didn't come to until she was already inside the bag."

"Does she know anything about the person who caught her?" Hermione asked.

"I asked but she didn't remember anything other than being stunned. Oh, and she said she wasn't in the bag for very long."

"I think we should talk to people about this," the brunette said decisively, glancing around for the others' agreement. "I mean, this kind of thing isn't funny."

Shinichi doubted it was meant to be funny, but he kept the thought to himself for the time being. It wasn't impossible that someone just had an extremely skewed and stunted sense of humor. Still . . .

The five of them helped Lilly recollect her scattered belongings. The girl in question accepted the aid with a grim face. She was going back over her belongings to make sure everything was present and accounted for when she paused. Her face closed off like a window being slammed as she stared at the piece of parchment in her hands.

"What's that?" Ron, who had been standing closest to her, reached for the paper. She started at the sound of his voice and made to shove the paper back in her bag but the redhead had already taken it. He froze, his eyes going wide as the paper slipped from numb fingers.

Kaito caught it before it touched the ground and turned it over. "A skull and a snake? I assume this means something?"

"It—it's the Dark Mark," the redhead stammered, still staring at the paper like it was going to sprout fangs and bite someone.

Harry's face darkened and he snatched the paper from the magician before turning and marching in the direction of their dorm. "Come on, we're going to get to the bottom of this."

X

The atmosphere in their dormitory common room was distinctly uncomfortable. All the residents of their dorm sat scattered around the room, their eyes mostly trained on the paper lying accusingly on the table in the room's center. The bold, black image of a skull with a serpent for a tongue glared up at them all, its grinning visage seeming to laugh without sound at their discomfort. The chairs nearest to the drawing were empty.

Leaning slightly over the back of one of the room's long, plush couches, Kaito observed the play of tension with a critical eye. According to Shinichi and the mountain of reading he'd apparently not only looked through but absorbed, the Dark Mark was the emblem used by a group of wizard-world criminals created by a particularly skilled and unsavory character who had only recently been dealt with at the very school Harry and his friends had attended. Said wizard and friends had all been listed as key players in the conflict and their faces were certainly grim enough now. Those were the eyes of people who had faced real danger and come out the other side alive if not unscathed.

A corner of the magician's ever active mind wondered if his own eyes ever looked like that. He had certainly caught brief glimpses of the look in Shinichi's face before. It was there now hidden beneath the contemplative gleam in his eyes.

"D—does that m—mean someone here is a . . .a . . ." Annemarie paused, swallowing hard before the last words escaped her throat in a rasping whisper. "A Death Eater?"

"All the Death Eaters were caught or killed when we defeated Voldemort," Harry said firmly, making several people in the room flinch. Green eyes glared through the lenses of his glasses. "Whoever did this has a sick sense of humor."

"But what if it's more than that?" Johan demanded, leaning forward in his seat. "What if there's someone here who really is related to the Death Eaters?"

"That is impossible," Ector argued. "Every student admitted to this facility had to undergo thorough background and character tests. They would not have admitted someone who would be a danger to the rest of us."

"But what if they didn't know? Or were tricked?" his roommate countered. "Maybe the person fooled them somehow."

"But even if that was true why would they keep threatening Lilly?" Caroline demanded, eyes flashing. "If there was a Death Eater sympathizer here I would have thought they'd target Potter."

Everyone looked at Harry who shifted a bit uneasily under their scrutiny.

Hermione frowned, her gaze growing distant. "Then it's either a bad joke, or . . .maybe it's some kind of message . . ."

"Don't you mean threat?" Dean asked dryly. "Come on, it's obviously someone trying to scare Lilly here for whatever dumb reason. We should just go tell the teachers and let them deal with it. I mean, finding out these kinds of things is what being an auror's all about, isn't it?"

"Hey you know," Ron said suddenly. "What if it's some kind of test? After all Dean's right, this _is_ the kind of thing aurors do."

"I don't know . . .I don't think the teachers would go so far as to use the Dark Mark if it was just a test," Caroline countered. "It seems too, well, too much of a loaded topic, especially considering present company."

"But if it _is_ a test," Ron persisted. "Then it's something we're supposed to solve."

"I doubt it's a test," Lilly's flat voice cut through the debate and all eyes turned to her. Her face was void of emotions, but Kaito's experienced eye could detect the frustration seething beneath the surface. She had obviously had enough, though what exactly she'd had enough of was up for debate. "And it's not from a Death Eater sympathizer. It's a threat aimed at me because my father was a Death Eater."

"What?" Nevile gasped in horror as Annemarie's hands flew up to cover her mouth. Harry and Hermione both sat stunned and Ron's jaw forcibly dislocated itself. Similar reactions ran around the room. There was a beat of utter silence, then Lilly stood up abruptly, turned on her heels, and marched out of the room. The doors leading back outside slammed behind her with a final sounding bang.

X

Shinichi let out a sigh of relief as the dormitory door shut behind them. He had been in his fair share of tense situations through the eighteen odd years of his life but that didn't make them any more enjoyable.

"You know who's sending the threats don't you? And I'll hazard a guess that you also knew why."

Shinichi made a noncommittal noise in response as he looked around to find Kaito watching him from over by the windows.

"Why didn't you say anything?"

There was a long moment of silence before the detective finally answered. "They need to be able to do this on their own. It's better to take your chances and make mistakes with the little mysteries before you have to move on and deal with the big ones."

"I see."

There was another long pause. "Why do you ask?"

"Just curious."

"Oh."

"So, what do you say we go look at the nice vault?" the magician suggested, the famous KID smirk surfacing in the blink of an eye. "It's dark, everyone's preoccupied . . ."

Personally Shinichi would rather have gone to bed, but he found himself following the thief and Aome out the window again. This felt disturbingly like being the magician's accomplice, and he rather thought from the laughter in said magician's eyes when he glanced back at him that he wasn't the only one the thought had occurred to. For once though, Kaito refrained from making a comment.

"So what did you have in mind?" Shinichi asked as they arrived back in front of the smooth, stone wall.

"Well, while you've been eating away indiscriminately at the library I did a little research of my own about, ah, protective spells."

"Of course you did. And?"

"And you'd be surprised how often the keys are laid out right there for you," Kaito non-answered, grabbing Shinichi by the shoulders and spinning him around so that he was facing away from the vault wall. More than a little confused, the detective waited for his companion to explain himself. He should have known better. Instead Kaito positioned himself to Shinichi's right and began walking backwards. "Don't look back," he advised as he went.

Shinichi hesitated a moment before doing as instructed. If one of them was going to run into the wall it was going to be Kaito anyway since he'd set off first. It was about thirty steps later that Shinichi realized they'd walked a lot farther than the length of the corridor should have allowed and it seemed to him that the empty hall in front of him was getting hazier with every step. It was almost like the entire place was gradually filling up with fog, only the air was dry as a bone and fog didn't glow like that.

He halted mid step, staring into the haze of warm, golden light. Where was it coming from?

"Keep walking," Kaito's voice said from somewhere behind him. He complied automatically, never taking his eyes off of the fog. Again it grew thicker. Soon he couldn't see the hall at all. All that remained was a blaze of golden light that, while not exactly blinding, couldn't be penetrated by the naked eye. He was so caught up in the strange sight that he backed right into the magician who laughed and caught his arm to steady him.

"I think this is far enough," he announced. "Oh, and don't forget to keep looking forward."

"What is it?" Shinichi asked, reaching out as though to touch the strangely solid light. He half expected his hand to fade like it would if he'd stuck it out while in a heavy fog, but his hand remained clear.

Kaito chuckled, answering with a single, simple word. "Magic."

"But we must have walked through the wall . . ." And he knew he couldn't do that. Heck, even KID couldn't do that.

"We were just following directions Tantei-kun. Remember that poem? It wasn't a riddle, it was a set of instructions."

"So . . .what do we do now?"

"Hmm, I was kind of expecting—ah ha! And here we go."

Shinichi blinked, resisting the impulse to turn around and ask what the magician was talking about. Instead he counted to ten and waited. Then he blinked. Were those . . .letters? They were whiter than the gold not-fog and looked more . . .solid, almost as though they could be plucked out of the thin air they rested upon. Yet at the same time they seemed to be far away like images being viewed through the bottom of a glass of water.

"What do you seek?" he read aloud. As though in response the words flashed brighter.

"The Angel's Passing Grace," Kaito said in a loud, clear voice. Shinichi wondered briefly what the heck he was talking about before a memory from what felt like eons ago resurfaced in his mind. That had been the name of the jewel that had started this whole mess. He'd almost forgotten it in all the ruckus. It had become _The Gem_ in his mind lately, complete with capital letters.

More letters materialized in the golden haze, spelling out the magician's words like an answer being written on a test.

"And now we wait," Kaito murmured. "I believe it is supposed to judge if we really deserve what we seek or not."

"And if we don't?"

"Oh, we'll probably be stuck here until someone comes and lets us out."

Then the letters shattered so suddenly that Shinichi flinched. The sparks of brilliant, white light surged forward, swirling around the travelers in a hurricane wind only they could feel before the entire world went white. Then they were back in the hallway and staring at the blank, vault wall, though Shinichi knew for a fact that he hadn't turned around.

"I . . .guess it didn't like your answer," he said finally, still feeling more than a little dazed but infinitely glad that Kaito's prediction about being trapped had been wrong. Had that really happened?

"Guess again," his companion sang out, appearing apparently out of nowhere and holding up a long, emerald shape. "Not the most challenging venture ever, but it sure was an awesome light show, ne Tantei-kun? . . .Tantei-kun?"

Shinichi blinked slowly at the gem, then shook his head and turned away. "I think I'm going to go to bed now."

Kaito watched him wander back towards their entry window for a moment before shrugging. With a flick of the wrist the gem disappeared and he followed the detective back out into the night. Although he wasn't particularly tired himself. Maybe he'd make a small detour.

X

Lilly cracked open the door to her dorm room and slipped inside. Through the darkness she could barely make out the shape of her roommate fast asleep across the room. Letting out a quiet sigh, she shut the door as quietly as she could and made her way over to her own bed.

Something caught her eye as she made to sit down and she paused, frowning. Leaning closer to her desk, she reached out and prodded the new additions on its surface.

It was a flower. Picking it up curiously, she turned it over and spotted a small, white card. Bringing it right up to her nose, she read the elegantly printed script aloud to herself in a whisper.

"Good luck."

She snorted, dropping the blossom back onto the desk and climbing into bed. The sentiment was nice and all, but it wasn't luck she needed—or wanted. Not that it mattered. If only . . .

X

Harry grimaced as he found himself rereading the same paragraph about centaur coat colors for the fifth time and _still not understanding it_. And that was just sad in so many ways. The problem was that he just couldn't seem to focus. All he could think about was the argument they'd all had the previous evening and the whole situation with Lilly. Admittedly he was just as surprised as the others at the discovery that she was, well, of what her father had been, but that didn't justify the threats. The thing was, who was sending them?

Whoever it was, he really wanted to give them a piece of his mind.

And there went the sixth reading. Ugh.

Tearing his eyes away from the simple yet nonsensical words, Harry glanced around the common room. The only other person there at the moment was Shinichi who was reading some kind of history on the conflicts between the wizarding and muggle worlds. He was almost as bad as Hermione when it came to books. Why he was putting so much effort into classes he didn't have to take, Harry wasn't sure. He certainly wouldn't have. On the other hand, the blue-eyed traveler did seem to know a lot.

Speaking of the travelers, he noticed that neither of them had been particularly surprised by Lilly's revelation the other day. Of course, they might not have known what Death Eaters were, and even if they did it wouldn't have the same significance to them that it did to the wizards. Still, with all the reading Shinichi had been doing it was unlikely he hadn't run across the term.

Harry frowned slightly. Come to think of it, the travelers hadn't been the only ones not surprised by the revelation. Oh everyone had looked shocked, but Harry had the odd feeling that some of them had been more surprised by the admission than the fact. Of course, at least one of them must have known to be sending the threats to begin with. But who would? That wasn't the kind of information people spread around about themselves.

A memory from a few days ago drifted across his mind. Ron had been explaining more about the Ministry of Magic to Shinichi and had mentioned on a side note that his father worked for one of the departments. Shinichi had asked if it was common for auror students to be from families already working for the Ministry . . . That was it! The Ministry would have records of the Death Eaters and their families. The information had been deemed too sensitive for the media, but someone with Ministry connections might be able to get a look at it. Other than Ron, Harry recalled, Ector, Johan, and Caroline all had Ministry relatives. But if he remembered correctly Ector's mother worked in the games and sports branch.

Harry's thoughts began to race as he tried to remember everything he'd learned about his classmates in the time since he'd arrived at the academy.

"Hey, Shinichi?"

The traveler looked up from his book and turned to Harry with a questioning look. "What is it?"

"Could you go find Lilly for me? Tell her to come to the common room?"

Blue eyes studied him for a moment before Shinichi nodded and stood up. "She said she was going to the library, right?"

X

He found Lilly Lovelace rather unexpectedly when he took a detour through one of the academy's small, inner courtyards on his way to the library. She was sitting on one of the courtyard's three benches, her bookbag by her feet and her head bowed. It wasn't until he'd called out and she jerked her head up to stare at him that he noticed the redness of her eyes.

It was incredibly awkward realizing that he'd unwittingly barged in on her when she'd obviously been crying, but now that he knew she'd been crying he couldn't well just walk away either. So he stepped forward instead.

"Miss Lovelace? Are you all right?" Which of course was one of those inane questions people asked when they weren't sure what else to say but it was better than saying nothing. Socializing had never been his forte but he knew that much.

The girl gave him a look then shrugged. "Fine, I guess."

Shinichi hesitated another moment then sat himself down on the other end of the bench. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"What is there to talk about?" she shot back, voice bitter. "It's not as though there's anyone who doesn't know what's going on."

"What are you going to do?"

She didn't answer for a long moment. When she did speak her tone was weary. "I guess I'll go home."

"Is that really what you want?"

"Of course not!" she snapped, rounding on him with a glower. "I worked hard to get here!"

He cringed at the outburst but forged onward. "Okay, then why are you thinking about leaving?"

"They obviously don't want me here, duh."

"Someone doesn't want you here," Shinichi corrected. "But there are people who do too. A lot of people are doing their best to help you."

"They're not really trying," she snapped, but her voice had lost most of its bite. "And you saw their faces when they found out. And anyways, it's not like it's going to do any good."

"You'll never know if you leave now though right?"

She snorted. "I suppose not. What are you doing here anyway?"

"Oh, Harry asked me to look for you," Shinichi replied, having almost forgotten it himself. "I think he has something he wants to tell you. He's over at the common room."

"I guess I might as well go then." Standing up, Lilly straightened out her clothes before casting Shinichi a last glance over her shoulder. "Uh, I . . .thanks." That said, she turned and left with quick, sure steps.

Shinichi blinked after her, slightly taken aback. He couldn't recall doing anything that would warrant a thank you. Well, at least she didn't seem to be as upset anymore. Getting to his feet, he continued on his way to the library. He still needed to find a Mermish dictionary. Then he'd head back and see how it went.

He never noticed the shadow hidden in the branches of one of the trees overlooking the courtyard. Said shadow watched him go with a thoughtful gleam in bright, indigo eyes.

X

Harry knocked on the door, feeling a bit nervous. When it opened to reveal Ector's amiable face he wasn't sure if he was relieved at the delay or irritated by it.

"Is Johan here?" he asked.

"He is."

"Can I speak with him for a moment?"

Ector disappeared and there was the mutter of voices before the lanky wizard in question greeted Harry.

"Can I help you with something?"

"There's something I wanted to ask you about," Harry explained. "Would you mind if we talked in the common room?"

"Sure."

The two wizards retreated back down the corridor and out into the thankfully still empty room. Once there, Harry turned to face the other who was giving him a slightly confused look.

"Are you the one who sent that letter to Lilly and put the snake in her bag?"

Johan started, taking a step back before his expression turned to a scowl. "Why would you even ask me that?"

"Because your grandparents both work in law-enforcement branches of the Ministry. And I remember you spending a lot of time by the window in class last Thursday afternoon."

"Ch. What does _that_ have to do with anything?"

"That window overlooks the lake. It would have been hard to spot a snake on the other bank but not impossible, and from what we've all heard about your dueling skills hitting it with a stunner from the classroom shouldn't have been a problem for you. You were also the one to immediately suggest that the threats had something to do with someone 'related' to a Death Eater."

Johan's tanned visage stilled as he stared hard at Harry. The former Hogwarts student wasn't sure what he was expecting the other to do (maybe demand more reasons), but he certainly didn't expect the shrug.

"So what's your point?"

Taken aback, Harry fumbled for a moment with what to say. "I—well, I wanted to let you know that if you don't stop harassing Lilly I'll take this to the instructors."

Johan's eyes narrowed in sudden outrage. "You're threatening me? Don't you realize that I'm just trying to do us all a favor?"

"A favor?" Harry repeated incredulouskly. "How is trying to drive someone away a favor to anyone?"

"So you want that kind of person here? She's related to a Death Eater! The Death Eaters killed my parents!" he spat, eyes blazing. "You more than anyone should know how that feels! Their kind of people _can't_ be allowed to be aurors! It doesn't make any sense."

"You're right, I know how that feels," Harry cut in before the other boy could say anymore. He was having trouble keeping his own voice calm. "But the Death Eaters are _gone_."

"But she—"

"That was her father, not her." And he knew what it was like to be accused of things he hadn't done too. It was a terrible feeling. No one deserved that.

"But why do you think a Death Eater's daughter would even want to _be_ an auror?" Johan challenged. "The damage a person like that could cause—"

"I'm here precisely _because_ my father was a Death Eater."

Both boys started at the new voice and they turned to see Lilly standing in the doorway, her face set. Stalking forward, she came to a stop directly in front of Johan and stared determinedly up into his face.

"Do you think I'm proud of what he was? What he did?" she continued, each word edged with steel. "I used to look up to him when I was little. Do you know how it feels to find out that someone you admired turned out to be a—a heartless killer? And to know that for the rest of your life people are going to jump at every little twitch you make just because you were related to someone like that?"

Johan took an involuntary step back, shock clear in his face. "I—that doesn't—I mean—"

"Just shut up and listen here. You want to know why I'm here? Well, I'm here because _I don't want to be like that_. Because I want to be able to do something good with myself. And if you have a problem with that, then you really need to get some help, but I'm not going anywhere just because some idiot thinks blood determines what a person will be." She stopped, panting hard but still glaring at the visibly shaken boy.

Johan's gaze dropped after a moment, unable to hold her gaze. "I—I'm sorry."

That seemed to give the girl a moment's pause. "What?"

He scowled at the ground then squared his shoulders and dragged his eyes back up to meet hers. "I said I'm sorry. It was . . .wrong of me . . .to make assumptions . . ."

"Oh . . . Well, that's all right then, I guess."

Harry, who had ducked into the corridor leading to the dorm rooms when Lilly had started shouting, let out a sigh of relief.

"That went well."

He jumped, spinning around to find Shinichi—and everyone else currently living in their dormitory—all piled up in the hall behind him.

"When did you all get here?" he spluttered in a loud whisper.

Kaito flashed him a smirk and a victory sign. "We were here the whole time."

X

"So this is that translocating gem you two were telling us about?" Harry turned the stone in question over in his hands. It looked perfectly ordinary, but then again that had never stopped something from being magical before. Still . . . "It's kind of hard to believe something so small can actually allow people to cross between worlds."

Kaito shrugged. "Nevertheless, it does. Great things can come in small packages." For some reason he seemed to find his own statement amusing as he laughed and shot Shinichi a sidelong look which caused the other boy to scowl at him. "Now, if you're done gawking, I think we'll be on our way."

"Wait, take this with you," Hermione said quickly, holding out a small, black box with two lids, one on either end. "I was thinking that, since you said you didn't know how long you'd be traveling and can't seem to take anything with you that you aren't carrying, that this might do you some good. Especially since you might not always land somewhere civilized. It's a sort of storage box, but it's a lot bigger on the inside. The compartment on the left is refrigerated and the compartment on the right isn't. We also packed some food and things in there we thought you might need."

Kaito grinned, sweeping the girl a deep bow. "You, Miss Granger, are truly amazing."

Hermione reddened with pleased embarrassment. "I just hope it turns out to be useful."

"Do you know how you're going to cover for us leaving?" Shinichi asked, a bit worried. He didn't want to cause some sort of panic, but they had already put off leaving a little too long, having opted to wait for the next full moon. Staying longer would mean risking having their non-wizarding status discovered and he was not going to let anyone wipe their memories.

"Don't worry about it," Harry reassured them. "We've got it covered."

"Yeah, we used to have to do this kind of thing all the time," Ron added cheerfully.

"And the others will help."

"The others?" Kaito repeated, sounding genuinely surprised. "You told them about us?"

The wizards traded sheepish looks but Harry nodded. "We thought it'd make things easier."

"They wish you luck too," Hermione said. "In fact, some of the things we packed were their idea."

Shinichi smiled, feeling a sudden pang he didn't really want to think too hard about. "Can you thank them for us?"

"Will do," Ron agreed.

"Oh, and tell Johan we appreciated the duel demo," Kaito added, flashing them a grin. "It was very educational."

Something about the way he said it made Shinichi want to edge away. Instead, he walked to the window and pulled the curtains open. They were back in the room in which they had first arrived and the moonlight spilled in over the bare, wood floors, revealing the faint traces of chalk marks not yet entirely erased. In the middle of the room, Harry, Ron, and Hermione all watched in wonder as the stone in Kaito's hand morphed into a flat, circular thing with shapes etched into its surface. One of said shapes was a triangle that exceeded the boundaries of the circle to give it a few odd spikes.

"So that tells you where you're going?" Hermione asked.

The magician glanced down, turning the almost pendant-like stone over in his hands. "Technically speaking. Though I can't say this looks particularly familiar."

"All we know is it should somehow represent our next destination," Shinichi said, returning to Kaito's side and peering at the gem. "I guess we'll know soon."

**TBC**

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**Next**: The Alchemist [Fullmetal Alchemist]

**A.N**: The next one might time a while to write because I need to review FMA to do it right, but I'm hopeful it'll turn out better than this one did. In the mean time, I do have an AU set loosely in Naruto that's almost done though so if anyone's interested just keep an eye out. Questions, comments, and suggestions are always welcome. Happy New Year's!


	3. The Alchemist

**A.N**: I almost cut this chapter in two because it's rather long even for this story, but I decided not to because I didn't know where to cut it. On the other hand, I like this chapter a lot better than the last one myself. Oh, and this venture is a lot more serious than the previous ones because it's FMA. Hope you guys don't mind. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own DCMK or FMA.

**Notes**:

Worlds: I am trying to make sure that you don't have to know a world to understand this story. Please let me know if I need to clarify anything.

FMA Timeline: This is based off the first FMA anime because it's the only version I'm familiar with and it's set earlier on in the series.

* * *

3: The Alchemist

(World 3: Fullmetal Alchemist)

It was very green, very grassy, and very, very empty.

"You know," Kaito said into the silence that reigned supreme in every direction as far as the ear could hear. "When I thought it might be possible that we'd land somewhere without civilization, this wasn't what I had in mind."

"And what did you have in mind?"

"Oh I don't know, a jungle or forest maybe? Or how about deep in the mountains or on a deserted island? You know, somewhere with something other than grass? Not that I don't like grass or anything, but there is such a thing as too much of a good thing—sometimes."

Shinichi sighed and flopped backwards into the aforementioned grass. Overhead the sky was a flawless blue-black dotted with stars. The thin sliver of a crescent moon hung like a crooked smile mocking their plight.

"I think I'm going to try and get some sleep while it's still dark," he announced, closing his eyes.

"You want to sleep now?" The magician stared at him, mystified. His tone clearly implied that he found the idea of sleep at this particular moment not only inconceivable but just wrong on so many levels.

The detective cracked open an eye but couldn't be bothered to turn his head enough to see his traveling companion. "Yes, now. Unlike you, I happen to need to sleep. And since we have nothing better to do at the moment I might as well take advantage. Good night."

That said he closed his eyes again and let his breathing deepen and even out. Off to the side, Kaito watched him make his escape into dreamland for several minutes before he let out a breath that was almost a sigh and followed his companion's example. Lying there on the admittedly soft grass he stared up into the endless vastness of the sky. Indigo eyes automatically picked out several familiar constellations and he marveled at how he could be so far from home—farther really than any person had a right to be—and still see the same stars. It was comforting in its own way. Like maybe home wasn't really all that far away.

At least he wasn't here alone.

His lips twitched themselves into an involuntary smile. If he had to be stuck traversing worlds with someone, he was glad it was Tantei-kun. Anyone else he could have accidentally picked up at a heist would have been a pain.

X

Someone was shaking him. He tried to pull away but whoever it was wouldn't let go. Maybe if he just ignored the shaking . . . Ugh, it wasn't going away.

"Just five more minutes, Ran-neechan . . ." Shinichi muttered, rolling over in the grass. Kaito suppressed the urge to burst out laughing and committed the moment to memory.

Sitting back, the magician thought for a moment before clearing his throat and selecting Megure-keibu's voice from his memory. "They found a dead man in Beika Park!"

Shinichi sat bolt upright, looked around, and blinked several times, visibly reorienting himself before his gaze landed on Kaito. The magician had long since lost the battle against his desire to laugh and was doubled over, tears of mirth seeping from the corners of his eyes. The detective scowled as his slightly sleep-befuddled brain collected and assembled the pieces.

"Kaito!" he shouted, squashing the impulse to shake a fist at the damned thief. He was not going to stoop that low over this! "That wasn't funny!"

"S—sorry," the perpetrator gasped out as he struggled to contain his laugher. "But you have to admit, only you would need wakeup calls involving dead people."

Scowl deepening, Shinichi made to kick his companion. It wasn't very effective though, since he was still sitting down, and Kaito dodged it easily. Picking a spot out of the detective's immediate reach, he held up his hands.

"I promise I won't do it again—unless it's absolutely necessary," he added. When the detective's glare didn't abate, he produced a sandwich from nowhere and held it out as a peace offering. "Hungry?"

Shinichi's eyes fell to the sandwich, temporarily distracted. "Where did you get that?"

"Our dear wizarding friends packed it for us," Kaito replied cheerfully, handing over the neatly wrapped sandwich and producing a second one for himself. A third flourish and Aome too appeared to be herded gently onto the magician's shoulder. She let out a sleepy coo but accepted the corner of bread he offered her happily enough.

"We should find some time to look through what they gave us," Shinichi mused, digging into his own sandwich as his gaze grew distant. It was strange . . .to think that they would never see the wizards—or any of the people they'd met or would meet—again, not because the world was a big place and people moved around but because worlds were infinite and it was unlikely they'd ever land in the same one twice. And even if they did the world was still big and people still moved around. It was kind of a depressing thought.

"Silver for your thoughts?"

"Huh?"

"Not a very complex thought it seems."

Shinichi rolled his eyes and went back to his neglected sandwich. "I was just thinking that we've met a lot of people we'll never see again."

"People we might never have had the chance to meet if not for our little, sparkly friend," Kaito agreed. "It's not a bad thing you know."

"I didn't say it was."

"But you were thinking it."

Shinichi met the magician's overly sharp gaze before looking away. "Maybe a little."

"It's the glass, Tantei-kun. You can look at it how you want. I personally find it is usually more rewarding to see it as full." On his shoulder, Aome let out a bright chirp. "You see, even the bird agrees with me. Which reminds me . . ." He turned to the creature on his shoulder. "I guess we'll have to ask you to find our runaway gem for us again."

She bobbed her head and was about to take flight when Shinichi stopped her with an outstretched hand.

"Wait. Finding the gem took a while last time. It would be more prudent to find somewhere we can stay for the time being first."

The magician nodded thoughtfully. "True. Can you do that Aome? Find a town for us?"

Aome cooed and rubbed her head against his cheek before taking off in a flurry of white wings. In seconds she had disappeared from sight completely.

The two travelers took the time to examine the little, black box of supplies while they waited. It was mostly food, both of the refrigerated and the non-refrigerated sort, along with some spare clothes including two cloaks made from heavier material for colder weather. It was near the bottom of the normal half of the box that they found the thin, black photo album. The front cover contained a built in frame out of which everyone from their dormitory were waving enthusiastically. The first few pages of the album had been filled with pictures of various students in different areas of the academy, including a few that included the travelers themselves from the day they had given their respective humanoid species' reports. Now that he thought about it, Shinichi did remember seeing Nevile with a rather weirdly designed camera. The rest of the album had been left empty with a note that read "For all those other places you might want to remember".

"That was rather thoughtful of them," Kaito remarked, his smile much softer than usual. "Guess we should find ourselves a camera next time we get the chance."

"Yeah." Closing the album, Shinichi carefully returned it to its spot in the storage box.

Aome came spiraling back down from the sky a mere half hour after her departure. Her excited but slightly muffled twitters reached their ears long before she landed on the hand Kaito held out for her. She had a small, bright red flower in her beak which she held out to him with the proud air of someone who had just accomplished some fantastic feat.

"Good news?" he asked, accepting the flower. She all but bounced on his finger in excitement before launching herself skyward again. The two travelers had to scramble to their feet and start running just so they wouldn't lose sight of her, and even then it was a close thing. It took the bird about a minute to realize that she was gradually leaving her charges behind. When she did she doubled back and landed on Shinichi's shoulder, letting out a quiet, apologetic coo.

"How about we keep walking in the same direction, and you can let us know when we're supposed to turn?" Shinichi suggested, slowing into a fast-paced walk. Aome bobbed her head in agreement.

The sun was high in the sky by the time the settlement came into view. It was a sizable farming town and they saw the fields long before they saw any buildings. Aome directed them along the outer edges of the fields until they stepped off of grass and onto a packed, dirt road beside a weathered signpost. Curious, the travelers made their way to the front of the sign to get a look at its proclamation.

Shinichi stared. Part of him was surprised. The rest of him wondered why he didn't know better. " . . .That's German."

"So it isn't just my eyes," Kaito agreed. "So, do you speak German?"

"No . . . Do you?"

"Not any amount worth mentioning. Lucky for us, we don't have to."

Shinichi frowned. "And why's that?"

Smirking, Kaito opened his formerly empty hands to reveal two small, silvery objects that vaguely resembled clip-on earrings. The detective, however, knew they weren't jewelry. He recognized the things from the class they had spent studying them back at the academy.

"Did you steal those from the aurors?" he demanded.

Kaito rolled his eyes but grinned. "No. our thoughtful friends packed them for us. Apparently Ector and Caroline made them. I guess they realized we might not always land somewhere that speaks a language we know well enough to communicate in."

"Oh, well, that's all right then I guess." the detective looked away, a little embarrassed at having jumped to conclusions. "You're right, we'll probably need them. But why didn't I see them earlier?"

"I found them this morning while you were still sleeping and I thought it'd make more sense to keep them in easy reach. Care to take one?"

Shinichi picked up one of the translation devices and clipped it to his ear as Kaito did the same with the other. The things would automatically translate speech they heard into languages they understood and, in reverse, they also allowed other people to hear the wearers' own speech in their native tongues. It wouldn't help them read anything, but hopefully they would be enough.

"Cheer up Tantei-kun. If they don't work, we can always resort to the time-honored language of the pointing fingers and wildly waving arms."

"Very comforting."

"Any time."

Shinichi sighed and shook his head, feeling oddly like he wanted to laugh. Funny that. The magician seemed to have an inborn knack for making the situation feel light, whether or not it was appropriate.

X

Strangers were apparently a rare breed of exotic creature in the isolated town of Goginall. Adults and children alike gathered in doorways and at windows to point and whisper excitedly. It was starting to make Shinichi feel uncomfortable. There had been a time a long time ago when he'd enjoyed being the center of attention, but two years of being in hiding had left in him an unshakable paranoia of being watched, especially by strangers he knew nothing about who could be anyone. It made him want to find a nice, sturdy wall he could put his back against.

His companion on the other hand seemed to be basking in the attention, waving back and greeting the townsfolk. He'd even started pulling tricks as they walked. The children were beginning to trail after them, their eyes wide in wonder as they crowded around the magician's feet.

Shinichi found it was somewhat calming to watch them and their childish joy. They reminded him of the Shounan Tantei and their boundless enthusiasm for the smallest things. The thought made him smile.

Spying a two-story building with overflowing flowerbeds full of the small, red flowers Aome had brought back to them, Shinichi turned and caught Kaito's eye over the heads of the eager children. "I think I found somewhere we can stay," he mouthed, "I'll see if we can get a room". The magician nodded before turning his attention back to his audience with a broad grin and an inquiry as to whether they wanted to see a "real" show. The cheers he received in answer suggested he'd be occupied for some time.

The inn, for that was what it turned out to be (making Shinichi wonder if Aome could read German), was a cozy little place. The furniture was plain and a little worn about the edges but well cared for and clean. Fresh flowers sprung from tall, thin vases set at the center of each table and several photographs in simple frames decorated the cream colored walls. An elderly man with steel gray hair whose face was etched with smile-lines turned away from the window he'd been looking out of to greet Shinichi as he came in.

"That is some strange alchemy your friend is using," he commented, eyes bright with curiosity. Though there seemed to be a hint of weary wariness mixed in beneath the brighter tones of his voice.

"Alchemy?" Shinichi repeated, his mind filling with images of glass beakers and test tubes and legends of greedy gold-seekers. "I'm sorry, I think you're mistaken. He doesn't do alchemy. He's a magician."

It was the elderly man's turn to look puzzled. "A magician?"

"Someone who does magic tricks," the detective clarified. "Puts on shows and things . . .?" He'd never had to explain something so basic to anyone before. Could this world not have magicians?

But the man's face lit up with sudden understanding. "Oh, we haven't had one of those around here in a long time. So was there something I could do for you?"

"Actually, I was wondering if we might be able to stay here for a few days—but we, uh, don't really have any money," he added, realizing belatedly that Japanese currency probably wouldn't be usable here. "But if there's any work you might need done . . .?"

"Well, my assistant did leave recently to head out to the big cities," the innkeeper mused, expression thoughtful. "Tell me, can you cook?"

Shinichi blinked, taken aback. "A little bit." Having lived alone for so many years he'd had to learn as a sort of self defense, but his skills weren't anything to brag about.

The man smiled. "Little should be fine. I make most of the food we serve, but I'm not as spry as I used to be. If you could assist me and help me run a few errands I'd be glad to give you a room."

"Thank you. We really appreciate this." Shinichi laughed inwardly. Just three worlds away from home and he'd been reduced to kitchen help. Well, maybe he'd learn something. Ran was always telling him he should spruce up his skills before he poisoned himself (though he was pretty sure she was exaggerating on that last part. He knew the food he made couldn't compete with hers, but it was at least average and wouldn't poison anybody).

"No problem. We have plenty of room since we don't get many visitors, but the place gets pretty lively in the evenings. In fact," he added, face brightening with a sudden thought, "if your friend would perform a little for us in the evenings, I'm sure everyone would be delighted."

"You'll have to ask him, but I'm sure he wouldn't mind." There was, after all, nothing the magician seemed to like better than being the center of attention.

The innkeeper beamed. "All right then, why don't you come with me and I'll show you where everything is?"

X

Kaito knew some magicians who would probably have considered performing on the streets demeaning, but he'd never been the kind to agree with them. He prided himself on being able to put on great shows anytime, anywhere, for any audience. A true performer should be able to shine at all times and he was nothing if not a performer.

He was also beginning to see that doing a few quick shows might be a good way to learn more about the worlds they landed in. Just in the last half hour he'd noticed things about this audience that was laying out the beginnings of a picture that he was sure indicated that this was another world where there was some kind of magic being practiced. What was particularly interesting however was how they seemed to be much more surprised by his ability to correctly 'predict' and draw cards than they were by, say, the conjuring of objects from nowhere. In fact the only conjuring tricks that had gotten any real awe were the ones involving his doves. Even the classic animal-out-of-the hat had left over half the crowd (which now included adults as well as children) wide-eyed and speechless. He could only presume that magic around here revolved mostly around the conjuring of objects. And possibly also the use of diagrams since one woman had come up to him after the show to ask where he kept his transmutation circles. She had been honestly shocked when he'd asked her to clarify her question.

Arriving at the building with the red flowers out front that he had seen Shinichi enter earlier, he found the front room empty. Curious, he followed the sound of muffled voices until he found what turned out to be a kitchen where he found Shinichi and an old man both in white aprons and up to their elbows in flour. He took a moment to just observe the sheer weirdness of it before clearing his throat.

"So, I'm gone for an hour or two and you've already decided to change careers?"

The detective brushed his bangs out of his eyes with the back of one hand, leaving a smear of white powder across his forehead, and shot him an irritated glare. "In case you don't remember, we don't have any money. Mister Skarker here has kindly agreed to let us stay here in exchange for some help instead."

Kaito laughed. "Oh, so you've been hired! Do I have a part in this deal too?"

"Unless you'd prefer to camp out, then yes. I did say we, didn't I?"

"Yep, but just so you know, I was banned from the kitchen by my mother since I turned ten."

Shinichi paused in his work for a moment then shook his head. "Why am I not surprised?"

The elderly man who had to be the aforementioned Mister Skarker chuckled. "No worries. I only need one assistant in here and this kitchen's not big enough anyway. I was just asking your friend here if you might be interested in doing some shows here in the evening."

The magician's face split into a broad grin. "Of course I'm interested. I have a couple tricks I've been meaning to try out on a captive audience."

Shinichi wondered if Kaito had used the phrase "captive audience" for a reason before shaking away the thought. "If you need to prepare anything, the room keys are on the counter over there."

"Aw, are you throwing me out already? I just got here!"

Shinichi rolled his eyes as the innkeeper chuckled. "As you can see, there isn't much room in here and we've got a lot of work to do if we're going to feed your audience."

"Well we can't have a hungry audience now can we? I shall leave you in peace then and go explore our new lair." Laughing at the disbelieving look that earned him, the magician turned and vanished in a puff of smoke—much to the innkeeper's amazement and Shinichi's exasperation.

Out in the common room, Kaito had almost reached the stairs when he was halted by two excited squeals. Turning at the sound he found two children around the age of eight scrambling right through the legs of a table to come to a stop in front of him.

"You're the man with the birds!" the boy exclaimed.

"Oh, are you staying here?" the girl who looked almost exactly like her companion exclaimed in excitement. "Did you get a room from Grandpa?"

He grinned at their hopeful faces. "As a matter of fact, I did get a room. So do you two live here too?"

"Yeah," the boy answered, nodding vigorously. "Grandpa owns this whole house! We even get our own rooms." He puffed out his chest in pride at the revelation.

"Impressive," Kaito agreed, crouching down in front of them. "I'm Kaito by the way. So who might I be talking to?"

"I'm Shina!" the girl introduced herself, practically bouncing where she stood. "And this is my brother Shawn!"

"Are you going to stay?" Shawn demanded.

"For a little while."

"So you won't disappear like Big Brother Neil?"

"Shawn! You know Grandpa said not to say that! He said Neil went to the city, remember?"

"But everyone else says he disappeared," her brother argued.

"Grandpa says we aren't supposed to listen to rumors like that."

"But this man can make things disappear too. So Neil _could_ have disappeared just like everybody says!"

"Excuse me," Kaito cut in before the arguing siblings' debate could get any more heated, "but what do you mean when you say this Neil disappeared? Who is he?"

"He was Grandpa's helper," Shawn explained, ignoring his sister in favor of the more cooperative pair of ears. "He was really nice, but a few days ago he went out and didn't come back. Everyone in town says he's disappeared like those other people, but Grandpa says he just went to the city."

"Well I believe Grandpa," Shina insisted, giving her brother a dirty look. "People can't disappear. So there."

"But he made those birds disappear!" the boy shot back, pointing at Kaito like someone who'd found the proof for the answer to the chicken and egg debate. "So it _can_ happen!"

"Can not!"

"Can too!"

"Can not!"

"Can too!"

Shaking his head in amusement, Kaito straightened and left the siblings to their rapidly degenerating dispute for the stairs leading to the rooms upstairs. That had certainly been . . .informative—in a not very helpful way, granted, but still, it gave him a lot of food for thought. It seemed something odd had been happening around this town.

X

"Disappearances?" Shinichi frowned slightly, moving to sit in one of the room's wooden chairs. The innkeeper had been generous, giving them a suite all to themselves. It had two single bedrooms connected by a small living area where tables and chairs had been set up between a large window and a hearth now ablaze with a warm fire. "How many?"

Standing near the window where he could look out into the night outside, Kaito shrugged. "Not sure. I talked to a few of the townsfolk after the show earlier but they don't always agree on who's vanished and who they think has just taken the chance to move away for whatever reason. But I'd say it's been half a dozen, give or take a few, over, oh, a range of about eight months or so. Though there may be more from farther back. Again, no one really agrees on anything."

"And this Neil was the last to go?"

"Yep. He's only been gone for a couple of days."

"Did any of them have anything in common?"

"Not that any of the townspeople could think of," the magician replied, shrugging. He watched as the detective looked down in thought, one hand on his chin as he settled unconsciously into his usual thinking pose. Kaito wondered sometimes if the detective realized he did that. The motion always looked so absentminded.

"Tread carefully Tantei-kun," he warned. "We still don't know what kind of dangers lie in wait in these lands. But I can tell you that there must be magic here of a sort."

Shinichi looked up at that. "Yeah. I think it has something to do with alchemy. Mister Skarker mentioned something about that."

"Alchemy eh? That sounds interesting." Glancing up at the night sky through the glass one last time, Kaito stepped away from the window and took a seat opposite from Shinichi before pouring himself a glass of water from the pitcher between them. "So when do you think we should send Aome out again?"

The detective glanced over to where the bird in question was perched on the mantelpiece at the end of a row of Kaito's other doves. All of them were fast asleep. "Maybe tomorrow morning. She looks tired."

The magician chuckled. "It certainly has been a long day."

"I'm just glad we found a place that'll let us stay a while even without any money," Shinichi sighed. "To think we're going to have to do this all over again every time we go somewhere new . . ."

"It worked out once, no reason it can't again. But enough of that depressing thought," Kaito remarked, waving a hand as though to physically brush the topic away. "So tell me, what did you think of my show?"

Shinichi eyed his companion's expectant face for a moment before looking down into his own glass. "It was . . .interesting. I never expected to see you plying your arts on a stage that wasn't one of your heists."

The other laughed. "I never expected you to either."

X

It had become routine for Shinichi to go collect the eggs from the chicken coop in the morning. The first few days it had been Kaito's job, but the magician had a tendency to neglect the egg basket and opt instead to juggle the eggs he'd collected with one hand as he collected and added more with the other. He had never dropped an egg but it still made their host nervous to see him at it. So the task had fallen to Shinichi.

He was on his way back inside when he was ambushed by the innkeeper's two grandchildren. They were always off and around somewhere. He wondered sometimes where their parents were but didn't want to ask in case it brought up unpleasant memories for the cheery little family of three.

"Can we ask you something?" they chorused, looking up at him hopefully.

"Yes?" Shinichi prompted.

"Why does Big Brother Kaito call you Detective?" the boy child asked, eyes wide with curiosity.

Shinichi blinked in surprise for a moment, wondering if there were people around who spoke Japanese after all, before he realized that the language translators must have translated KID's nickname for him despite its use as a proper noun because it was a real word and not just a name.

"That's because that's what I am where we come from," he explained, squatting down so that he was at eyelevel with the kids.

"Oh, so, like, you find things?" Shina asked.

Shinichi had to smile at that. "You could put it that way."

"Can you help us find our ball?" her brother demanded, eyes bright with excitement. "It disappeared and we can't find it anywhere!"

Shinichi laughed. "All right. Just let me finish getting these to your grandfather and see if he needs me to do anything else first."

Fifteen minutes later he was trekking around town with the kids as they retraced their steps in search of the missing ball. The ball in question had just been located inside the doghouse of a neighbor's terrier when the not-so-distant sounds of a commotion reached their ears. Frowning, Shinichi instructed the children to get back into the inn through the back door before making a beeline for the street himself.

He arrived just in time to see a tall, heavy-set man dressed far more elaborately than anyone he'd seen in the town thus far strike a much smaller, balding figure so hard across the face that the smaller man's feet actually left the ground as he flew back from the blow. All along the street people were frozen in the midst of their daily activities. Their pale faces turned to fix on the heavy-set stranger. No one moved for one, endless heartbeat.

Then the man spat on the ground in obvious disgust. "Peasant scum. Don't ever question your betters again." He shot a look around at his gaping audience. "That goes for the rest of you too. The baron doesn't look kindly on insubordination."

As he turned away several of the nearest townsfolk hurried to the fallen man's side. Shinichi ran to join them, his head buzzing with the culprit's words. What was going on here?

"Someone get the doctor!"

"It's too late. His neck's been broken. He's dead." Getting to his feet, Shinichi scanned the street. Through the gathering crowd he spotted the culprit walking away from them. "Hey, you! Stop right there!"

The man didn't even cast a backward glance. Shinichi was about to run after him when a firm hand landed on his shoulder, holding him back. "Don't. That's one of the baron's men—and it was an accident. Nothing good will come of going after him."

He glanced over to see Mister Skarker's grim, aged face. "But—"

"Let it go," the innkeeper insisted, his eyes kind but stern. "It's better not to think too hard about it. There are things we cannot change. That is simply how the world works."

"It's murder! It doesn't matter who he is—we can't just let him get away with it!"

"Listen lad," the man said firmly, not relinquishing his grip. "If you make a fuss out of this, the best that could happen would be the baron forcing you to leave this place. The worst . . .well, you've seen. Don't go picking fights with the lions. Now come, let's go inside."

The rest of the day passed in a gray blur for Shinichi. He did what he was asked methodically but without thought and when the sun began to set and he excused himself to retreat to his and Kaito's rooms he couldn't remember what exactly he'd done that day. All he could remember was that man lying dead in the street. It was the only thing he'd seen all day.

He didn't bother turning on the light. Instead he threw open the curtains and let the gray evening seep into the empty common room. He leaned his forehead against the cool glass of the window and closed his eyes, inhaling deeply and trying to focus on the feel of the air filling his lungs. He could almost smell the cold seeping through the window. Cold and bleak like the empty street outside and the horror he could feel trying to creep up inside his chest. What was wrong with him? He'd seen and solved hundreds of murders. Death was no stranger to him. And here he was, fighting the urge to empty his stomach over something he had seen too many times not to be used to. Here where it apparently wasn't even a crime for some people to kill.

And that was the problem wasn't it? At home if he could keep his calm and focus simply on the puzzle that was the case he knew that—no matter how long it took—eventually the culprit would be behind bars. Grief and rage wouldn't bring back the dead, and neither would finding their killer, but at the same time it was the only thing that could be done—so that the same fate that had befallen the victim wouldn't happen again to someone else and so that the world would at least know the truth about their deaths. It was the least he could do and he'd always felt the living owed the dead at least that much. But here . . .

He didn't move when he heard the door open and close, but he did open his eyes when a warm hand landed on his shoulder. Lifting his gaze he could barely make out Kaito's reflection in the glass, pale and elusive like the phantom he sometimes claimed to be. What he could make out of the magician's expression was solemn. He didn't say anything though. He simply stood there with his hand on Shinichi's shoulder, offering a kind of silent comfort no words could have had.

It was Shinichi who finally broke the silence. "They're wrong."

The magician tilted his head to the side, raising an eyebrow in a soundless inquiry.

"About it being the way the world works." He fell silent for a moment then sighed, his breath misting the glass before his face. "Though sometimes I wonder . . .maybe that's just wistful thinking."

"But that's what you detectives do isn't it?" Kaito reasoned. "You solve crimes so that you can change the world for the better."

"True, but you know, there are times when I wonder if it really makes a difference. No matter how many cases I solve, there's always more, and there will always _be_ more. One murderer might be going to jail, but that's what? One in how many? And in the end they've still killed someone. I can't stop them from killing, all I can do is help them get punished. And what does that do for the people who've already been killed?" And why was he even telling this—to a thief no less? Only the words just slid out as though they had a mind of their own. He couldn't have stopped them even if he'd had the mind to try.

"They say Rome wasn't built in a day. The world can change, it just takes time. Even a small step forward is a step after all."

Shinichi turned the words over in his mind then nodded slowly. "I suppose you're right."

"Aren't I always?" the magician quipped before removing his hand from the detective's shoulder, moving instead to loop an arm through his and start pulling him towards the door. "Now stop being all gloomy and let's go get dinner. You haven't eaten since this morning right? You should watch that. It isn't healthy to skip meals."

X

The inn had two new patrons who had apparently only just gotten into town that evening. One was a teenage boy with a short, blond braid and the other a rather large person (man?) dressed from head to toe in heavy armor. They had seated themselves at a corner table where the unarmored one was digging into a hot meal while his companion looked around the room.

They were a rather odd pair, Shinichi thought. For one, why was only the boy eating? And what kind of a person waltzed around on normal days in full armor? Were they expecting danger? But if they were, then why didn't they appear to be carrying any weapons?

"Do you want to go talk to the newcomers?" Kaito inquired, appearing suddenly at Shinichi's shoulder and making him jump. "It could be interesting."

Shinichi wasn't really in the mood for talking, but he let the magician pull him out of his chair and over to the two strangers' table. Both strangers turned to regard them in surprise as Kaito pulled out two chairs and pushed Shinichi into one of them before dropping uninvited into the other.

"Good evening," the magician announced cheerily. "I'm Kaito Kuroba, this humble inn's resident magician and my friend here is Shinichi Kudo. Hope you don't mind if we join you."

"Oh, we don't mind," said the one in the armor. The voice was unexpectedly high—like a child's. It also had an echoing quality which could probably be attributed to the helmet, though Shinichi couldn't help but feel like it echoed more than the helmet should have accounted for. Almost . . .as though the voice was echoing through the whole suit of armor. But the wearer obviously didn't have any trouble manipulating any of his limbs so it couldn't be oversized. Maybe it was just his imagination. He was still feeling a little out of sorts. "I'm Alph—uh, Al," he continued, the slip drawing both magician and detective's attention instantly. "And this is my brother Ed."

The aforementioned brother was just polishing off his meal before he sat back with a satisfied sigh. "Nothing like a good hot meal after a long day's journey."

"That's certainly true," Kaito agreed with a chuckle. "You know, you two are the first new arrivals around here we've seen since we got to town ourselves. So where're you from?"

"We've just been traveling all over the place," Ed answered a bit vaguely. "What about you two? You said you're new here?"

"A few days old but fairly new. Lucky us we landed jobs our first day here," he added, letting the brothers made what they would of that.

Ed nodded sagely. "By the way, have you heard or seen anything strange while you've been here?"

"A man was murdered in broad daylight this morning and no one reported it to the authorities," Shinichi said flatly, staring at the table as though he could burn a hole through it with his eyes.

"What?" Al gasped, horrified. They were interrupted before any of them could say any more however by the appearance of Mister Skarker with the newcomers' room keys.

"If you would like, you can leave your armor in your room," he said kindly to Al. "It must be uncomfortable having to carry it everywhere. Our town is fairly peaceful."

"Uh, thank you, but that won't be necessary," Al replied, sounding a tad sheepish and maybe also a little uneasy.

"Well, if you're sure . . . What about your little brother? We have coat hangers right behind—"

"Who're you calling little?" Ed erupted in a sudden fit of outrage, cutting the innkeeper off as he leapt up out of his seat. "_I_'m the older brother!"

The conversation devolved as the blonde went into a tirade about terminology. Apparently he had a height complex which extended to include his greater age in comparison to the brother who quite literally towered over him.

"Looks like someone has issues," Kaito noted, hiding a smile.

Shinichi snorted and would have commented but his ears caught the now familiar sound of flapping wings as something white swooped in through the open window of the common room to land on his shoulder. Turning his head to the side, he found himself eye to eye with Aome who cooed happily. The sound was muffled by the gigantic, star-shaped flower with pale, violet petals she was carrying. The blossom was almost as big as she was.

"Wow, I'm impressed," Kaito told her as he relieved her of her burden. She performed a little hop-skip in her excitement, making both travelers laugh.

"Excuse me," Shinichi said, turning to the innkeeper. "Do you know where we might be able to find more flowers like these?"

The elderly man, relieved for an excuse to back away from the still fuming Ed, peered at the blossom with interest. "I'm sorry, I have no idea, but you can ask Shina. She brought several just like this one back home not that long ago."

"We'll do that. Thank you."

Kaito took Aome off of Shinichi's shoulder and made her disappear in a puff of smoke. Then the two excused themselves from the table to go in search of the children. Ed watched them go with speculative eyes.

They found Shina seated at the top of the stairs, a large piece of cake in hand. She looked up guiltily as they approached and tried to hide the cake behind her back.

Kaito chuckled and winked at her. "We won't tell, but in return could you do us a favor?"

"Okay," she agreed with a relieved smile.

"Could you tell us where we can find more of these flowers?" The magician showed her the blossom in question. He wasn't expecting her to gasp and lurch back away from him like he'd offered her a snake, nearly sitting on the cake whose plate was still on the floor behind her.

"What's wrong?" Shinichi asked quickly.

The girl looked down abruptly, her hands twisting into the fabric of her shirt hem. "It's . . .from _that_ place."

"What do you mean?"

"That place . . . It's where I—I . . .I saw . . ." She paused, swallowing hard, before continuing in a tremulous voice barely above a whisper. "I saw . . .when Big Brother Neil left . . . He—he went into the mean man's house and he didn't come out again . . . I—I don't think he wanted to go because they were making him and he looked really scared, but . . ."

Shinichi and Kaito's gazes met over the girl's head. A silent agreement passed between them before Shinichi knelt in front of Shina, putting his hands lightly on her shoulders in a bid to offer comfort.

"This man," he started, keeping his voice soft and soothing. "The one whose house Neil went to. Do you know his name?"

The girl nodded. "Bulshay. But everyone just calls him the baron . . . Grandpa says Neil went to the city," she added, looking up at them with pleading eyes. "So he's okay right? He just didn't come by to say goodbye . . ."

"I'm sure he's fine," Kaito assured her. "We'll go make sure, okay?"

Her eyes widened. "You will?"

"Yep, so you don't have to worry about it. Deal?"

She nodded slowly, relief evident in her young features.

Both travelers watched as she ran off, the violet flower they'd suggested she find a vase for dangling from one hand and her half devoured platter of cake in the other.

"You know, the more I hear about this baron the less I like him," the magician remarked. "So, are you up for a late night stroll?"

"Do you know the way?"

"Of course not, but Aome does."

"Let's go then," Shinichi said decisively. "The sooner we find out what's going on the happier I'll be."

X

The mansion was a few miles outside of town. It loomed over the countryside like a thundercloud. Its mere presence seemed to fill the air with a heavy sense of foreboding. The only real color around the place was the sprawling field of pale, violet flowers that dusted the surrounding hills like a sea of fallen stars.

"They really need some bats," Kaito murmured as he peered through one dark window before setting about opening it.

Shinichi shot him a befuddled look. "That was really random."

"No, seriously, this place would make the best haunted house ever. So are you coming in or not?"

The detective grimaced but he relented eventually and followed the thief through the window. "We could have knocked, you know."

"And say hello to the man who might be making townsfolk disappear? No thanks."

Conceding the point, Shinichi peered through the darkness in an attempt to make out their new surroundings. They appeared to have come into some kind of drawing room. What he could make out of the furnishings were elaborate but it seemed as though whoever was responsible for housekeeping hadn't been doing their job. While not exactly filthy, the place had certainly seen better days.

"Where to now?" Shinichi whispered, wincing at how loud the words sounded in the room's perfect stillness.

White teeth flashed in the dark as Kaito grinned. "Now we explore." That said he swept off in a silent billow of white. He'd donned his KID uniform—probably just for kicks, Shinichi thought a bit sourly.

The entire bottom floor of the mansion was deserted, but fires roared in the hearths of both the kitchen and the dining hall. It wasn't until they reached the second floor that they encountered the first signs of life. It came in the form of faint voices. They followed these to a massive chamber which must have occupied at least one third of the second floor. Hidden in the shadows of a partially closed door, they peered into the fire lit room to see a scowling man standing with his back to yet another blazing fireplace. His features were a bit hard to make out because of the brightness of the flames behind him, but he stood with an air of command. Of the dozen or so people in the room, he was definitely the one in charge.

And there, visible despite the poor angle, was half of a stone feather sticking out of the man's breast-pocket. It gleamed a familiar, translucent green. Either this was the world's biggest coincidence, Kaito mused, or they had not only found their translocater but it had already taken on its next form.

"Why wasn't I informed the moment they arrived?" the man was yelling, face livid.

"We—we weren't sure," one of the others stammered, cowering under his fierce glare. "They did not disclose their full names and—"

"I should have been told the moment you suspected! You know what could happen if those damned State Alchemists start nosing around here!"

"But Baron, Sir, there is only one of them. And while his companion is large the boy himself is a mere child."

"I've heard of those two," the baron snarled, eyes flashing. But the rest of his words were lost to the travelers as a strange, rumbling sound filled the air.

Kaito cast a sideways glance at his companion. "Please tell me that was your stomach telling us you didn't eat enough dinner."

"I was hoping you would say it was yours."

Their eyes met briefly before they both turned around at the same time.

Shinichi had been expecting some kind of dog. The rumbling had definitely sounded like a growl coming from deep within the throat of some deep-chested canine. But the creature in front of them was definitely not a dog of any breed even if it had most of the general shape down. For one, its head and back were covered in what were unmistakably scales. The eyes too looked reptilian, but the massive, clawed paws were canine. The beast's tail arched high over its back and resembled a scorpion's stinger. But the worst part wasn't the long fangs it revealed as it growled or even the hungry gleam in its eyes. No, the worst part was that it had siblings.

A lull in the growling revealed the sound of rapidly approaching footsteps and the baron's voice demanding to know what the commotion was about. Then the door behind them was flung open just as the entire pack of monstrous not-dogs lunged.

It was pure pandemonium. It was the only way Shinichi could describe what happened then. The original occupants of the mansion weren't surprised by the appearance of the not-dogs so much as they were surprised by the appearance of the travelers. He could only assume that that meant the not-dogs were theirs, a theory which was confirmed when the creatures darted around or leapt over the baron's men in favor of attacking him and Kaito. The baron however was cursing loudly and shouting at his men. His exact words were lost to Shinichi through the screeching roars of the not-dogs trying to bite his head off, but it seemed the baron had decided to vacate the premises. Moments later doors slammed and the travelers found themselves the only humans left in the room.

Shinichi ducked as one of the beasts hurled itself at him. It sailed over his head to go crashing into one of the many lamp tables set up around the room. Screeching its displeasure, it spun, lashing out with its tail and obliterating several more unfortunate pieces of furniture.

Lamps smashed to the floor, sending oil and sparks flying in every direction. Shinichi jumped over a patch of rising flames just in time to avoid losing a hand to one monster's gaping jaws. On the other side of the room, Kaito flipped over another creature's humped back so that it ran face first into the wall. It let out an outraged shriek which seemed to further rile its brethren.

That was when two figures—one large and metallic and one short and blond—came charging into the room.

Ed took one look at the snarling beasts and cursed. "Chimeras!"

"I really wanted to know what they were called," Kaito drawled, doing a handspring and landing near the brothers. "But you know, they didn't seem to want to talk about it."

"Where's the baron?" Ed demanded, ignoring the sarcastic comment.

"He left these things for us then left in a great hurry. Must not have bought enough pet food last time he was at the market."

The brothers traded looks moments before the ground shook as four of the chimeras mounted a group charge.

"You two, get out of here!" Ed shouted as he clapped his hands. In a flash one of his arms changed and he suddenly had a _sword_ and a hand instead of two hands. Armed, he sprang forward, catching one chimera in mid leap.

Beside him, Al grabbed a second beast by the forepaws and swung it around before releasing it in the path of one of its brethren. Shinichi shouted a warning as he saw another of the creatures charge Al from behind, but it was too late and the massive beast bore Al to the ground, sending his helmet flying off. The detective's eyes widened and he froze in mid cry as he realized that he could see inside the suit of armor for the first time since he'd met the brothers and there was _nobody inside_.

And then the armor raised an arm and punched the chimera off of itself.

Shinichi drew in a sharp breath. "He—it—empty—moving—"

"Talk about it later, come on," Kaito hissed, feeling slightly perturbed himself but also not wanting to end up as pet food. Grabbing the detective by the nearest arm, he bolted for the first door he laid eyes on. It wasn't the one they'd come in through, but at the moment he didn't care about little things like that.

Together they burst into an unfurnished chamber where half the floor was occupied by an intricate, circular diagram. Remembering the little he'd heard about alchemy, Kaito halted and held out an arm to keep Shinichi from stepping on the image.

"I think this might be one of those transmutation circles people were asking me if I used," he said by way of explanation. "Who knows what it might do."

"Better not to find out," Shinichi agreed, but his eyes were fixed on a twisted shape lying near the center of the diagram. "Kaito . . ."

"What is it?" the magician asked, scanning the walls for another door.

"That's—that's a body over there."

That got Kaito's attention. Turning his eyes to the lumpy shape he'd originally ignored, he felt his stomach turn over in disgust. It was definitely a body—a man, probably, though it was hard to tell with the way it was all shriveled up. But it was the face that sent chills down his spine. It was turned towards them, the mouth stretched open in a silent scream and the eyes forever locked in a silent, terrified stare.

"There's a door over there," he said finally, stepping towards it. He had to go back and haul on the detective's arm though when Shinichi didn't follow him. "There's nothing you can do for the poor man now."

Shinichi's hands clenched convulsively into fists but he started moving after the magician all the same. They crashed through the door and were halfway down the hall beyond when they nearly tripped over a small figure huddled on the floor.

"Shina!" Shinichi gasped in horror when he'd gotten to his feet and taken a good look at their newest surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"I—I wanted to help find . . .find . . ." the girl stammered, her face pale and entire body shaking like a leaf in a hurricane. "But he—that was . . ."

The travelers traded looks. Neither of them doubted now that the corpse had belonged to the missing Neil.

"It's all right," the detective said as soothingly as he could, even though he knew it wouldn't be. Not for a long time anyway, and certainly never in certain ways. "Now come on, we have to get out of here."

The girl didn't seem to hear him. She remained rooted to the spot, shaking her head as though she could shake the very world away.

"We can't wait." Moving quickly, Kaito scooped the unresponsive child up into his arms and headed down the hall at a run. Shinichi ran after him. A few turns later and they were back in a recognizable corridor. They skidded to a stop at the top of the stairs. The air was full of smoke and the stairwell aglow with orange light. Heat rolled up the steps in scorching waves.

Shinichi could already see thin tendrils of fire creeping up the walls. "They must have set fires downstairs on their way out. We have to find another way down."

A hurried search however revealed only one ascending staircase which they fled up in a bid for extra time. Locating the room with the largest window, Shinichi unlatched it and flung it open.

"You can use your glider from here, right?"

Kaito cast a glance outside. "A bit lower than I'd like but yes. However, I can't carry both the kid and you. I'd be the first to sing the praises of the equipment I use, but my glider wasn't built with passengers in mind. One other person maybe, but two? It wouldn't hold, even if one of them is a child."

Shinichi glanced at the child who had passed out either from the shock or the fumes then back at the smoke-darkened doorway. He could already see the brilliant, orange sparks heralding the rising flames. Even the floor beneath his feet was beginning to radiate heat. There weren't any open paths left.

Well, if this wasn't an emergency, he didn't know what was.

"What's that?" Kaito asked in bewilderment as he watched the detective fish a small, plastic box out of a pocket and pop it open. "This isn't the time for snacks, Tantei-kun."

"It's not candy," Shinichi snapped. He hesitated only a moment before swallowing the little capsule and tucking the box back inside his pocket. Then he sat down to wait, bracing himself for the change and hoping it would act fast.

Kaito stared at his companion, wondering if the detective had finally lost his mind. "Uh, not to rush you or anything, but is now really the time for a break . . .?"

Shinichi ignored him. He'd only ever used Haibara's latest creation once, but he knew from that once that even if she'd made the things safe to use they weren't any less painful than their counterparts. He needed to focus on not passing out.

Kaito frowned when he noticed the detective grimace and hunch over. He would have asked what was wrong but that was when he noticed that the detective seemed to be—getting smaller? He blinked. Was he imagining things? But even as he wondered that Shinichi opened his eyes and clambered a bit shakily to his feet.

The detective set about hurriedly folding up his sleeves and pant legs, tucking, and tying things to make his clothes 'fit' better before looking up at the staring magician. "Stop gaping and let's get going before we get fried."

That certainly answered the 'what was that' question, Kaito thought. It would have been nice to have been forewarned. Well, there would be time enough later to talk about it. For now he had to get them all to safety.

X

"Damn, they got away," Ed cursed. "And there goes all the evidence."

He was about to turn away when a small figure went running down the hill past him straight towards the burning building. He lunged without thinking, tackling the little boy to the ground and pulling him back.

"Let me go!" the boy shouted, flailing wildly at him as Ed held him off the ground.

"Hold it squirt. In case you haven't noticed, there's a fire over there. Get any closer and you won't be going home tonight."

"But—Shina! Shina's still in there!"

"Who's Shina?" Al wondered.

"She's my sister!" the boy screamed, struggling even harder to get out of Ed's grasp. "Let me go! I have to help her!"

The brothers exchanged looks.

"You hang on to the kid," Ed said, shoving the squirming boy into Al's arms. "I'll find the girl."

Instructions given, he turned towards the mansion just in time to see the whole structure cave in. The boy stopped screaming, his eyes going wide and round with terror as his entire body froze in Al's grasp. Ed clenched his fists, his own gaze fixed on the burning wreck. If there had been anyone alive in there, he knew they'd be dead now.

Letting his breath out in a hiss he made up his mind to go take a look anyway, but he stopped in his tracks as he caught a glimpse of motion in the smoke and the gleam of something white.

X

Ed looked from the magician to the blue-eyed child standing beside him and back again. "You mean _that's_—but how?"

The two travelers traded looks—one amused one not—before Shinichi let out a long sigh. "It's a long story."

"Well, the town's a good hour's walk from here, we have time."

"True," Kaito agreed. "Time enough for us to tell our story and you to explain exactly who you are. Want to flip a coin to see who goes first?"

It was a rather informative walk for both parties. It was a good thing that both kids, exhausted from the night's ordeal, lay fast asleep in Al's metallic arms. Ed and Al had been a bit skeptical about the whole 'other world' thing, but they'd accepted the story eventually. Though Shinichi suspected it might be the kind of acceptance that was for the temporary convenience of the moment and to be adjusted as soon as a more plausible explanation showed its face. On the travelers' part, they learned that both brothers' full names were Edward and Alphonse Elric and they were what this world called alchemists. Ed himself was what they called a State Alchemist, so technically he was military personnel despite his young age. As for Al . . . Both travelers still weren't sure what to think about the fact that he was apparently dead—just not _dead_ dead since his soul was currently inhabiting his armor. Well, actually, Shinichi was trying his best _not_ to think about it at all.

"So you were here to investigate the disappearances?" he asked.

"Yeah, and the rumors that that Bulshay guy was studying human transmutation."

"Which is . . .?"

"What, human transmutation?" The blonde's face darkened. "It's alchemy that tries to create or change human beings."

"It's illegal," Al added, sounding rather somber himself.

"So this guy was trying to make people?" Kaito demanded incredulously.

Ed shook his head. "No, I don't think so. Look at these." He fished two photographs out of his coat pocket and handed them to the magician. Kaito glanced them over curiously before handing them down to Shinichi. "The one with the trees in the back is from about ten years ago. The other one's only a few months old."

"Ten years?" Kaito looked back down at the pictures in surprise. "But he looks exactly the same in both photos. Not even an extra wrinkle!" And he could say that with absolute certainty. It was just the kind of thing he'd trained himself to notice.

"Exactly."

"So whatever he's doing, it's keeping him from aging," Shinichi said slowly, hardly believing the words coming out of his own mouth. But he was starting to get used to that. What he wouldn't do for a normal world to land in once in a while. "Some kind of elixir of life? Is that possible?"

"Apparently it is," Ed said grimly, gaze turning to look off into the distance at something only he could see. "But everything comes with a price. You can't get anything in alchemy without giving something of equal value in return."

"Of equal value," Kaito murmured before his eyes narrowed into an intent expression Shinichi had never seen on his face before. "But what can possibly be equal in value to life?"

The alchemist turned to give the travelers a look that spoke of dark memories and the knowledge of those who had seen more than any person should ever have to. He didn't say anything aloud, but he didn't have to. They could see the answer in his face.

"The disappearances . . ." Shinichi breathed, horror creeping up inside his chest in cold, clawed tendrils. For a long time no one spoke.

"Let's get the kids back to town," Kaito said grimly. "We can talk more about this there."

Falling back a little as the alchemists took the lead, Shinichi glanced up at the magician's shadowed face. "Kaito?" he asked hesitantly. "Are you all right?"

The magician glanced at him briefly but didn't answer. Holding back a sigh, Shinichi turned his attention back to what they had learned. He couldn't make the other tell him anything if he didn't want to, but the detective couldn't help but worry at the strange look he'd glimpsed in Kaito's eyes. It was a cross between sorrow, anger, and something else he couldn't place.

The rest of the trip was a silent one, each member of their little party caught up in their own thoughts. When they reached the inn they found the lights on and half the town gathered there with a frantic Skarker. The innkeeper fell upon them the moment they appeared, gathering his grandchildren into his arms and babbling his gratitude to them for finding the kids. Everyone wanted to know what had happened and Shinichi and Kaito left the alchemists to explain as they retired to their rooms before someone could notice the missing teenager and the extra child.

Shinichi tried to sleep, he really did, but the more he tried the more awake he felt. Eventually he gave up and went to get himself a cup of water. Somehow he wasn't surprised to see Kaito was still awake too. The magician was sitting on the single, overstuffed couch in the corner, a pensive look on his face. He didn't even blink when Shinichi pulled out a chair at the table and sat down.

The detective gulped down half his glass of water in one go before leaning back in his seat and turning his gaze to the window. The night outside was pitch black and it suddenly seemed as though the whole world out there was empty. Empty yet overflowing with the half formed phantoms of forgotten hopes.

"It's what they killed him for."

"Huh?" Starting at the sound of his companion's voice, he turned in the magician's direction. Kaito wasn't looking at him, but he had no doubt that the words were meant for him.

"Tou-san . . . This was his—before . . ."

Something white landed in Shinichi's lap and he looked down. He drew in a sharp breath when he recognized KID's top hat. "You mean . . ."

"Yeah . . . All for a stone no one can be sure exists and a myth no one can prove," Kaito said bitterly. "It's almost funny when I think about it. So much death over something that's supposed to give life."

Give life . . . Shinichi glanced down at the hat again, not sure what to say as his mind pieced together this information and what they'd learned about Baron Bulshay (so that was why it had affected the magician so much, the baron's actions must have struck too close to home). There was nothing anyone could say really to something like that. No words could possibly be enough. Instead he picked up the hat and stood, walking over to sit down beside the magician where he held the object out to its current owner. Kaito caught his gaze for a moment then smiled faintly and took it, turning it over in his hands, indigo eyes focused on something far away that only he could see. Eventually he flipped the hat up, twirling it on its brim with the tip of a finger for a moment before making it disappear in a puff of smoke and getting to his feet.

"I'm going to go see if I can catch a boat to dreamland. You should give it another try too. I get the impression tomorrow's going to be busy. Good night."

"Good night."

There were so many questions—more now with the little knowledge he'd gained than ever before—but there would be time for that later.

X

"We heard some interesting things from Skarker last night. Turns out the baron has another mansion," Ed announced. He, Al, and the two travelers had met up for breakfast while most of the town was still asleep after the previous night's excitement. "One guess where he ran off to."

"Are we going after him?" Al asked.

"Oh yeah. This guy's not getting away from _me_."

"Do you have a map we may be able to borrow?" Kaito inquired, earning himself puzzled looks from the brothers.

"Yeah, why?"

"We're going with you," Shinichi replied.

"But why not take the train?" Al wondered aloud.

"Well, we—can't," Shinichi admitted sheepishly. They were really going to have to find a way to deal with money issues in the future. On the bright side, the innkeeper had been kind enough to give them some old child-sized clothes for free. Still, they couldn't keep relying on other people's good will.

"You're not thinking about walking, are you?" Metal clinked as Al turned his head to peer at them each in turn as though trying to figure out if they were joking. "It would take you all day! Maybe even two."

"Oh, we're not walking," Kaito assured him, grinning. "We'll be flying. At least if you would kindly make us a tall enough platform to launch from before you head off yourselves."

"Wait a moment," Shinichi interjected, turning to regard his companion through narrowed eyes. "What's this about flying?"

"We might as well take advantage of the fact that you're currently travel sized. Besides, you wouldn't want to get there when the action's all over now would you?"

"You two don't have to come," Ed cut in. "We can handle it."

"Maybe," Kaito agreed. "But the baron still has something of ours."

"And we would like to see it through with you," Shinichi added, expression solemn. "I couldn't walk away from this halfway even if the baron didn't have our gem."

Ed studied the two for a moment before nodding. "All right. I have a map you can borrow. I'll mark the town out for you. We'll meet at the train station. Our train'll be there by three. Think you can make it?"

The magician smirked. "We'll be waiting for you."

X

They had arrived an hour early and decided to have lunch on the side of the road before heading into town.

"So, how long are you going to be seven?"

"Eight," Shinichi grumbled. "I was eight when Haibara finished the antidote. And it lasts twenty four hours."

"Do they work for anyone?"

"No. I don't know how it works, but I do know it works with people who've survived the original poison then been cured by Haibara's antidote. Like a temporary anti-antidote."

"That's interesting. I never knew that girl was such a little scientist."

Shinichi snorted. "You have no idea."

"She's not really related to that old inventor friend of yours, is she?" the magician asked curiously. "She always seemed rather distant to me. Creepy too. Kind of like you were."

Shinichi hesitated for a moment, but there didn't seem to be much point in keeping it a secret. "She is, actually, like I was. She's actually a year older than me."

Kaito hummed thoughtfully. "I can't say I'm surprised, but then why hasn't she, ah, grown up again? This cure thing was hers, yes?"

"She's never out and told me," the detective said quietly, tilting his head back so that he could look up at the sky. "But . . .I think she's happier where she is now—starting over. I guess sometimes it can be a blessing to be able to leave everything behind and just recreate yourself. Especially when you've already lost too much . . ."

Kaito nodded slowly, wondering if Shinichi was still talking to him or if the detective was talking to himself. Maybe it was a little bit of both even. He'd found himself doing something similar lately.

He'd found himself telling Shinichi things he would have never considered ever telling anyone, much less a detective (things like his father's story, which he'd always been sure would never pass from him to anyone who didn't already know). Maybe it was a side effect of being so far away from home. Back in their own world he was Kaito and he was KID, but though they were both as real a part of him as anything could be Kaito and KID's lives were not allowed to cross. By default, there was a huge part of himself he had to keep locked behind a smirk and a laugh, because, though each face saw different worlds and walked different lives, they were both Kuroba Kaito and obviously not as separate as he needed the rest of the world to believe.

But here, the equivalent of stranded out in a whole other dimension, there was no need to keep up the pretence that Kaito and KID weren't the same person. That wasn't to say he didn't feel the need to do it anyway, it was only natural, but when he was talking with Shinichi, who already knew the secret, it was so easy just to let the lines blur together. It was a relief and a whole different kind of thrill. The ease itself was a surprise, and possibly even a bit frightening, but it was nice too. Maybe it was because he knew Shinichi couldn't use any of the information he learned against him even if he wanted to, or maybe it was because he knew the detective himself harbored similar secrets from not so long ago and therefore had a greater chance of really understanding than anyone else he knew. Either way, he mused, neither of them was going to be the same when they got back home again.

"Come on, it's almost time," he said finally, slightly reluctant to shatter the peace but knowing it was necessary. "We've got some people to welcome off the train."

X

They heard Ed before they saw him.

"—does he think he is? Always talking like he knows everything!" the alchemist was ranting as he stood in the middle of the platform. People were doing their best to keep their distance from him as they whispered and peeked when they thought he wasn't looking, obviously wondering if they needed to call security about the crazy blond boy who'd just gotten off the train. Al stood beside him, waving sheepishly at the passersby and somehow managing to radiate embarrassment from every inch of his armor.

"Problem?"

Al started and spun around to find Kaito and Shinichi standing just behind him. Laughing, he raised one hand to the back of his helmet. "No. He's like this every time he finishes talking to the colonel . . ."

"Ah, superiors," the magician said knowingly. "They do that to a person sometimes."

"We should probably find somewhere to stay, just in case we have to be here for a while," Shinichi said.

"That's a good point, right Brother?" Al turned hopefully to the irate alchemist. "And we can start looking for information too."

"Yeah," Ed agreed, breaking off in mid rant. "We also need to find out where that bastard lives."

The four left the train station with the flow of the masses out into the bustling streets outside. This town was several times larger than Goginall and where the other town had had a tranquil, countryside aura this town was bursting at the seams with activity in the manner of a hornet's nest that hat just been stepped on. While this meant that strangers were about as rare as dirt, Shinichi noted that they were still drawing a great number of stares. Then again, he thought ruefully, he'd probably stare at them too if he was someone else. Al towered over most everyone in the street, gleaming under the sunlight every time he moved.

"We are sticking out like a sore thumb on a giant's hand," the magician complained beside him, all the while smiling cheerfully like someone without a care in the world.

"Nothing we can do about it so deal," Shinichi said dryly.

"Nothing you lot could do about it, maybe," Kaito shot back. "If you'd just given me some time we wouldn't look like the peacock in the chicken coop."

"I thought you liked attention."

The magician cast him a sardonic look then laughed. "I won't argue with you there, but there's a difference between getting attention because I'm just awesome and getting attention because I'm walking with several suspicious characters. I don't generally do the second kind. Besides, you'll note that I am being eclipsed by our big, metal friend here."

Shinichi paused then shook his head, torn between disbelief and amusement. "Only you would say something like that."

"Why thank you."

The detective's eyebrows rose. "Did I say it was a compliment?"

Kaito smirked. "You don't have to. Being unique is always a compliment."

" . . .Right."

"Excuse me," Ed's voice interrupted them and they turned to find the blonde had stopped walking in front of a knickknack shop. "But if you two are done, I need to get a few things. You can look around or wait here."

"Oh, we'd love to look around," Kaito assured him, trading looks with his fellow traveler before the two of them followed the Elric brothers inside.

"We're being watched." Shinichi murmured the moment the shop door swung shut behind them.

Ed bent over, pretending to examine a tray of key chains. "You noticed it too huh?"

"There are five of them," Kaito added. "I'd say we picked them up about eight and a half minutes ago."

"Eight and a half minutes?" Al repeated, puzzled. "How can you be so sure."

Kaito chuckled softly, picking up a glass paperweight and turning it over in his hands. "Trust me, I'm sure."

The younger Elric clanked as he turned to glance out the window while affecting the air of a browsing shopper. "So what should we do?"

"We confront them and make them tell us where their boss is hiding," Ed replied, but Kaito shook his head.

"I have a better idea. They have to report to the baron at some point, yes? He seemed the type to insist on a blow by blow. Why don't we just let them lead the way for us? Here's what we do . . ."

X

Five minutes later Ed bought a jar of machine oil and the four exited the shop, chattering amiably about other things they may need to purchase. Then Shinichi pulled on Kaito's hand, slipping back into the familiar 'little kid' act, and pointed out the time. The magician gasped and turned to give the two alchemists an apologetic bow.

"We really do have to get going," he explained. "Our family doctor always throws a fit whenever anyone's late. Where did you say you were staying again?"

"We didn't," Ed replied. "But I did see an inn when we got out of the station so we'll probably head back there once we're done here."

"Right, I'll swing by around dinner time. Could you have my package for me by then?"

"We will," Al assured him. "Bye."

That said, the two groups parted ways, heading in opposite directions.

"Looks like they're more important than we are," Kaito mused under his breath a few moments later as he paused to check a street sign. "We've got one tail left. We need to hurry," he added in a much louder voice, grabbing his child companion's hand and beginning to run. "We've only got five minutes to get there!"

_And then there were none_, he added silently to himself, a wide, KID grin spreading across his face as he and Shinichi ducked into a particularly narrow alley. "Now for the fun part."

X

The inn outside the train station was a huge establishment. Personally, Kaito thought he much preferred the small, friendly Skarker inn, but at least the sheer business of the place would make sneaking in and out easy. Finding out which room the Elrics had been given was a mere matter of skimming their records when no one was looking. He'd snuck Shinichi into said room before going to join the brothers in—lo and behold—the private dining room they had been ushered into when the innkeeper recognized them (most likely courtesy of the baron's spies. It seemed he had a lot of people on his payroll in this town). The detective would rejoin then once his age-reduction had worn off.

"They're watching all the exits," he announced as he slid into an empty chair at their table. "And this room conveniently has only one door."

"We noticed," Ed said dryly. "So did you find . . .?"

Flashing the alchemists a rather smug grin, he pulled a folded piece of paper out of thin air and handed it over. "We had to diagram it since we don't write your language, but I copied what was on the street signs there on the left. The guy was smart enough not to go straight back to his own house it seems."

Ed and Al bent over the paper and the room fell silent. A few minutes later the door opened and a waiter came in bearing a tray. His gaze flickered over each of the room's occupants before settling on the paper in Ed's hands but the blonde chose that moment to fold said paper again and tuck it inside his coat pocket. Disappointment flashed through the man's eyes but he said nothing as he unloaded his tray and retreated.

Dinner was a quiet affair by general consensus. They were almost done when Shinichi slipped into the room and took one of the remaining chairs.

"There's a strange waiter watching this door," he told them as he accepted a plate.

"He's an old friend," Kaito told him with a wink. "Water?"

"I see. And yes, thanks."

"We need to find a way to convince them that I'm still in here at least for a while after we leave," Ed grumbled, eyes narrowed in thought. "Or they'll just go running off to their boss and we'll never see him again."

"Oh, that's easy," Kaito said in Ed's voice before switching over to Al's. "Just leave that to me."

"Wow, that's amazing!" Al exclaimed. "How do you do that?"

"Pure talent, my friend, pure talent."

"What are we waiting for then?" Ed stood up, an anticipatory grin spreading across his face. "Let's get this ball rolling."

"Hold on," Kaito interjected, raising a hand to forestall any further action. "Before you go, I don't suppose you have the things I asked you about?"

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot about that. I have them right here, but why in the world do you want metal poker cards?" Ed asked, confused even as he pulled a package out of an inside pocket of his coat.

Indigo eyes twinkled with some private joke. "Think about it as being prepared for some heavy duty gaming."

"How are you guys going to get out without them spotting you though?" Shinichi asked, eyes flickering up to Al. The brothers traded looks before laughing.

"That's easy. Watch this." Ed dropped to his knees on the bare, wood floor and clapped his hands before setting them both palm down in front of him. Light blazed through the room. When it had cleared it revealed a perfectly circular hole in the floor which continued down into the ground below. It even had steps leading into it. "I can add a trapdoor so you guys can close it up behind you."

"No need," Kaito informed him. "We'll leave the old fashioned way. I think it would be best if you two left no traces as to your route of departure. It may throw them off."

"Well, if you're sure. Come on Al."

"Right."

The brothers made their way as quietly as they could down into the room's new stairwell before there was a second flash of light and the floor was smooth and unmarked once more. Shinichi wandered over and crouched down to run his hands over the wood. Not even a scratch remained to indicate that anything odd might have happened. Shaking his head in wonder, he straightened and returned to his seat.

"I still feel like I'm dreaming sometimes and I'm going to wake up and find out this was all some extremely long, extremely weird dream."

"—thing is where to begin searching," Kaito was saying in Ed's voice, making sure it was loud enough to carry clearly but not too loud as to sound suspicious. Meanwhile he produced a pen with a snap of his fingers. Reaching over, he picked up and spread one of the napkins on the tabletop. Uncapping his pen, he began to write.

_ I know what you mean. By the way, it might be better if you don't talk right now._

The detective nodded his ascent.

_ How long should we give them?_

On the other side of the table, Shinichi glanced over the words then held up all ten fingers before flashing a five. Then he quirked an inquiring eyebrow.

_Don't worry. I can do this kind of thing all night._

Shinichi stifled a snort at that.

Kaito grinned and scribbled another sentence as 'Ed and Al' continued to discuss possible game plans. _You see, there are people here who care after all._

Blue eyes glanced down and away for a moment before Shinichi pulled his own pen from a pocket. _I'm glad._

_You were worried, weren't you? You don't have to answer that._

_What about you?_

It was the magician's turn to raise an eyebrow. _I like seeing a killer get his just deserts as much as the next decent person, if that's what you're asking._

Shinichi made a face. _Not exactly. But you don't have to answer either._

Kaito shrugged, eyes darkening briefly. _It helps just to know that someone somewhere is doing something really. _The pen stopped moving for several seconds before continuing to write._ I wonder sometimes why people want to live forever_.

The detective stared down at the paper for a while, pen resting limply in his hand. Then he met the magician's gaze as his fingers tightened around the pen. _I think it may be less wanting to live forever and more being afraid to die._

_That's certainly an interesting thought_, he wrote, lips quirking sardonically. _Would you care to take a peek outside and see if our waiter friend is still there?_

Roughly fifteen minutes later 'Ed' yawned and Al said, "It's getting late. We should get some rest."

"Yeah," 'Ed' agreed a bit reluctantly. "Just give me a moment. I want another look at these maps."

_Let's go_, Kaito wrote. Picking up the ink covered napkin, he flicked his wrist to send it drifting through the air where it burst into flames. In seconds there was nothing left of it or their soundless conversation but for a few faint traces of ash.

Getting outside was a delicate operation, but they had already mapped out where all the spies were. Still, they staggered their departures from the private dining room and took different routes out of the building just to be safe. Being somewhat more experienced at these kinds of things, Kaito opted for the trickier escape out the front door which involved a two minute stint of innkeeper-hood which had the added bonus of giving him the chance to check that most of the spies were still pretending to be normal patrons. Once he was outside he snuck around to the back of the inn to where Shinichi was waiting for him.

"How much time?" the detective asked in a whisper as soon as he was close enough to hear.

"I'd say about ten minutes," the magician whispered back. "Then they'll probably get suspicious and check the room."

X

It was a nondescript house near the edge of town that Baron Bulshay and his men had chosen for their temporary hideout. Temporary, for even as Kaito and Shinichi arrived they could see the wagons being loaded behind the house.

" . . .Eleven, and twelve," Ed was muttering where he and Al stood hidden in the shadows of the alley across the street. "Good. They're all outside now. You two are just in time."

"We make it a habit to never miss the main event," Kaito assured him. "Shall we?"

The baron and his men froze in their tracks as a voice called out.

"Leaving so soon?"

Heads turned and all eyes focused on the short, blond boy who stepped casually into the loading yard followed by a large suit of armor. There was a beat of absolute stillness in which no one made a sound. The tableau was ruined as the baron flung out an arm and roared.

"Shoot them!"

And that was when all hell broke loose.

Kaito had never seen anyone, not even Nakamori, turn so many different shades of red—and eventually purple—as the baron did in those few chaotic moments. His men had obeyed his orders and opened fire on the Elrics but the bullets were bouncing harmlessly off of Al's armor. Well, mostly harmlessly. The few who got too close found themselves the victims of their own ricocheting bullets. Ed had reproduced his arm-sword and was laying about with it with the vigor of someone who'd had way too much stress lately and was just itching at the chance to vent it on something.

"It's quite the sight, isn't it?" Kaito asked from where he'd slid up beside the baron.

The man jumped about three feet and whirled around to gape at him. Grinning, he waved a hello with the hand that was incidentally also the one holding the green, stone feather he'd picked out of the man's pocket a few seconds ago.

"Thanks for finding this for us. My, did you polish it? I'm sure it wasn't this shiny before. You did a good job."

"You—you—"

"Yes?"

Groaning inwardly, Shinichi lunged and pushed Kaito down just as the outraged man grabbed what turned out to be a machine gun from beneath the tarp of the cart beside him. "Do you like inspiring people to want to shoot you?"

"It's not usually my intention, no, it just kind of happens—incoming!"

The two bolted in separate directions as the crack of machine gunfire joined the sounds of battle. The baron cursed vehemently when he didn't manage to hit either detective or magician and opened fire again, a half-crazed snarl twisting his features until he barely looked human anymore. Kaito felt a bit (a lot) like cursing himself as bullets flew past him. He'd been shot at before, but never like this. Twisting, he felt a line of fire sear across his right shoulder as one bullet grazed him. Shinichi rolled under a second wave of shots before leaping to his feet and making a dive for the baron's legs in the hopes that he could knock the man over. Unfortunately, the man saw him coming.

Kaito thought his heart might have stopped for a moment when he heard the shot and saw Shinichi fall and it didn't start again until he understood that the detective had gotten hit in the leg and not somewhere fatal. The baron must have realized it too as he adjusted his aim for another go at it. Putting all of his athletic skills to use, the magician leapt forward, covering the considerable distance between them in the blink of an eye and sliding right under the startled man's outstretched arm to close a hand over one of Shinichi's as the detective moved to lever himself off the ground. The detective's eyes widened as he felt hard stone against the back of his hand. Then the world was falling away.

X

The baron dropped his gun and stumbled back as he stared at the empty space where the two boys had been. Had, because now there was no sign of them. And with them had gone that strange, shape-changing stone he'd had such high hopes for.

He didn't have time to curse his luck though as energy crackled in the air and he found himself looking out through a set of bars.

"Well, I guess that's everything," Ed remarked as he glanced from the cage he'd created around the baron to the one where he'd put said baron's men to the pile of scrap metal that was all that was left of said men's weapons. Everyone was present and accounted for. Or at least everyone aside from the two travelers. He frowned slightly. He'd seen them vanish into thin air with no alchemy involved and neither of them had reappeared. Of course, he'd also seen the glint of green in Kaito's hands just before they'd gone. He could only assume that that meant they'd left for their next world. "Now we just have to call someone to come take these guys to prison."

"Yeah," Al agreed, sounding pensive. "Uh, Brother . . . Do you . . .think they're all right?"

Ed didn't have to ask who he was referring to. "I don't know Al. But from what we've seen I'm sure they can take care of themselves."

"I guess you're right."

**TBC**

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* * *

**

**Next**: Phantom Thieves [D.N. Angel]

Question: Should I cut extra long chapters into two parts or keep to one world per chapter? Extra long would be either over 14,000 words, over 16,000 words, or over 18,000, though I doubt anything will get quite that long. As a point of reference, this one was about 15 something thousand.

A.N: I finished this one a lot faster than I thought I would. I'm about to get a lot busier though, but I'll try to finish the next chapter as soon as possible. By the way, I'd appreciate it if you could each tell me your three favorite anime that aren't DC—to help give me ideas ^^ And thank you to everyone who's been giving suggestions. Thanks again for reading and hope to see you again soon!


	4. Phantom Thieves

**A.N**: Well, I'm not entirely happy with this chapter, but here it is anyway!

Disclaimer: I don't own DCMK or DNA [This is the only story I've ever written where the disclaimer is different every chapter ^^]

**Notes**:

Chapter Length: Okay, the verdict is in and it seems just about everyone prefers the one world per chapter format, so that's how it'll stay. However, if I ever do decide to do more than one adventure on the same world, they may end up in separate chapters.

The Belt: I know the balls are only supposed to last ten seconds or so, but let's say Agasa made a version that lasts a little longer.

: . . .: means thought-speech.

* * *

4: Phantom Thieves

(World 4: D.N. Angel)

"That was close," Kaito noted, letting out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. All around him the night had been replaced by pale rays of sunlight and the ground had sprouted a lush covering of neatly trimmed grass. Getting to his feet, he took a moment to breathe (and marvel at the fact that his leap hadn't resulted in a face to face introduction to any unyielding surfaces) before casting a glance around the clearing he'd landed in. He expected to see the detective, probably examining his leg, but the clearing was deserted. The only living creature other than himself that wasn't a plant was a small, brown rabbit who was staring at him with large, dark eyes.

Tearing his eyes away from the petrified bunny, he focused on the distant outline of buildings. Well, at least he knew in which way civilization lay. It didn't however tell him where his wayward companion was.

And Shinichi was injured. How badly, he didn't know, but wounds didn't have to be fatal to cause irreparable damage, especially if they weren't tended to properly. Speaking of injures, he should probably deal with his own before he did anything else. Thankfully it was fairly shallow (it had already stopped bleeding). He also had bandages on him and water in the wizards' box.

Well, first things first. Deal with the wound and swap his clothes so that he didn't scare people later, then he could find Shinichi.

X

The moment the world around him steadied Shinichi collapsed to the ground in mixed relief and exhaustion. He winced as pain shot up his left leg. The wound hadn't really registered when it had happened, he'd been more focused on the fact that he had to either move or get shot again, but now that the immediate threat of death was gone it was making itself known with a vengeance. Shifting as best he could into a sitting position, he almost groaned out loud when he realized that he was actually sitting in front of someone's house—almost on the doorstep in fact. He could only imagine what the house's occupants were going to think when they came out to find him there with blood all over his clothes.

Praying fervently that no one would come outside before he'd managed to vacate the premises, he began the slow and painful process of getting to his feet.

Luck had never been his strong suit (except maybe when it came to surviving—that was one department where he was almost supernaturally fortunate).

The door behind him opened and a red haired boy came running out. The boy in question had his face turned back towards the house as he called goodbye to someone inside and he didn't see Shinichi in his way. An instant later two cries—one pained, one surprised—shattered the early morning calm.

Shinichi groaned. This just wasn't his day.

"Oh my god!" someone was shouting somewhere over his head. "Mom! Dad! Grandpa! Come quick!"

Soon one voice morphed into three, then four, and he was being carried into the house. That was a surprise (though whether it was a good one or a bad one he couldn't tell yet). He'd expected either the police or an ambulance. On the other hand, it seemed these people had some medical knowledge.

X

There was, Kaito mused, definitely a checklist forming somewhere in his mind. Language sat somewhere at the top of that list. This city, wherever it was, spoke Japanese (which was making asking around to see if anyone had seen Shinichi a lot easier. It also helped that he could just point at himself when they asked what his missing companion looked like), so he tucked his translator away for the time being. No one so far had any leads for him though. Hopefully Aome was having more luck than he was.

Shelter was another high priority subject, especially since he didn't think Shinichi—once he'd found him—should be moving about too much for at least the next several days. They could always camp out if necessary, but camping out with bullet wounds didn't sound appealing when they might have a choice about it. And that was why, when his eyes landed on the advertisement in the jewelry shop window, he turned without a second thought and walked inside to the soft tinkle of shop bells.

A tall, hawk-like woman at the counter looked up as he approached, adjusting her glasses with bony fingers. "May I help you?"

"Are you still looking to hire an assistant?" he asked, gesturing to the back of the poster in the window.

"Ah, yes." Her eyes lit up and she studied him for a moment before fishing a gray box out of a drawer behind the counter. Opening it, she fished out a ring and handed it to him. "Tell me about it."

The magician's eyebrows rose at the abrupt request before he turned his attention to the ring.

"Fourteen karat diamond, platinum setting," he rattled off, turning the ring over in his hands. "Well cut, but somewhat lacking in clarity."

The woman snatched the ring from him before he could say any more and handed him a green, dragon-shaped pendant.

"Jade, but it's had its natural color artificially enhanced."

"Good, good," she murmured, snatching the pendant away too and producing yet another piece of jewelry. They repeated the process another two dozen times with various pieces ranging in value from average to star-businessmen-only. By the end of the session the woman was beaming like someone whose birthday had come early and Kaito was feeling a bit bemused. This was one strange lady.

"Perfect!" she declared finally. "If you bring all your papers in by this evening and everything checks out you can start work tomorrow. Your duties will include helping me catalogue new items and dealing with potential customers. Payment is calculated depending on how business goes. How about it?"

"You've got a deal," the magician laughed. The lady's enthusiasm was almost as infectious as his own. "Can I drop off the paperwork if I come back this afternoon?"

"Of course. I'll be here until seven."

"Great. See you later then." That had been unexpectedly easy. People around here sure were trusting. Not that he was complaining. He paused by the door, turning back to his soon-to-be boss. "Oh, by the way, have you ever heard of KID the Phantom Thief?"

She gave him a puzzled look. "Who?"

"Never mind." The magician mentally checked off the next box on his list for world profiling. Still not home yet—though he supposed he'd seen enough of this place to have guessed that much. About to leave, he was caught by surprise as the lady continued speaking.

"I _have_ heard of Phantom Thief Dark though. Is that who you're talking about?"

X

"Would you like something to drink? Is orange juice all right? Here, I'll go get some."

Shinichi watched as the woman bustled off into the kitchen, leaving him alone with the red-haired boy who had knocked him down before. The boy's father had been sent to the store for more medical supplies and the grandfather had disappeared at the insistent pecking of a plump, blue bird some minutes ago, muttering something about needing to check a few things.

"So . . .uh . . .what happened to you?" the redhead asked after a long moment of uncomfortable silence in which the sound of his mother in the kitchen filled their ears. He was still looking guilty over having run into the detective despite having apologized multiple times already.

"I—got mugged," Shinichi hazarded, spitting out the first possibility that came to mind.

The boy's red eyes widened in sympathy. "That's awful. What did they take? Do you want us to call the police?"

"I didn't really have anything important on me," Shinichi hastened to explain, beginning to feel guilty himself. "And I didn't see their faces so I doubt the police would be much help . . . I'm Kudo Shinichi, by the way. Thank you, I really appreciate all the help."

The boy scratched the back of his head in embarrassment but he relaxed. "Niwa Daisuke. It's nice to meet you. And I'm glad we could help. If you need anything else, just ask."

Shinichi smiled, wondering if everyone in this world was this kind to strangers met under such strange circumstances. "I don't suppose you've seen someone around who looks a bit like me?" He hadn't had time to get a good look around for Kaito before the Niwas had taken him inside.

Daisuke frowned slightly. "I don't think so. Is he a relative of yours?"

"A friend. He was with me earlier but I lost track of him."

"Well, if you have his phone number we could try calling him."

"Uh, he doesn't have a phone . . . We kind of just moved here," he added.

"Daisuke!" Mrs. Niwa exclaimed as she came back into the living room with a glass of orange juice in one hand and a plate of apples in the other. "What are you still doing here? School started fifteen minutes ago!"

The boy froze for a moment before leaping to his feet with a horrified cry. Gabbling out a quick farewell, he grabbed the book bag he'd discarded earlier and bolted for the door. His mother watched him go with a smile and a laugh. Once he was gone, she turned back to Shinichi and handed him the juice.

"Here you go. I heard you tell Dai you just moved here, right? How do we contact your family? I'm sure they're worried about you."

The question sent a pang through his chest but he pushed it to the back of his mind. "I'm actually here with the friend I was telling Niwa-kun about. I'm not sure how—" He cut himself off as he caught sight of motion outside of the window. That looked like . . . "Excuse me Niwa-san, but could you please open the window?"

The woman blinked in surprise but did as he had asked. A moment later she let out a cry of surprise as a small, white bird streaked past her. Shinichi reached out automatically and the bird latched onto his fingers with an almost painfully tight grip. Once there, she began to titter at him, sounding rather agitated.

"Whoa, calm down," he said, holding her closer in an attempt to soothe her obviously frazzled nerves. It seemed to work and a few seconds later she stopped trying to cut off the flow of blood through his fingers. "Is Kaito all right?"

Blue eyes peered up at him before Aome bobbed her head. A sigh of relief escaped the detective and he relaxed muscles he hadn't realized he'd tensed. For a moment he'd been afraid that the bird's frantic arrival had meant the magician was in trouble.

"Oh it's adorable!"

Both bird and detective started and looked around to find the lady of the house hovering over them, her hands clasped in delight. "Is it yours? Does it have a name? I've never seen a dove with eyes that color before! It is a dove, right?"

"Well . . ." Shinichi glanced down at Aome again. He'd always assumed she was a dove, all considered she bore a great resemblance to the rest of Kaito's flock, but now that he thought about it he wasn't actually sure. Did monsters fit into everyday species labels? "I think so. I'm not really an expert on birds. Her name's Aome." The bird in question chirped a greeting, making the woman's smile widen in delight.

"Was she waiting for you outside this whole time?"

"No, she was with my friend. He must have sent her out to look for me."

"Really? I didn't know doves could be trained to do that."

Shinichi laughed. "Kaito's a magician. I've seen him do some amazing things with his birds. You'd be surprised what they can be trained to do."

"I'd love to see that," she mused, eyes bright. "Does that mean she can tell your friend where you are?" Aome fluttered her wings at the question and the woman chuckled. "Aww, it's almost like she understands what we're saying!"

"Sometimes I'm almost sure she does," Shinichi replied, mentally sheering the 'almost' out of the sentence. There was no doubt left in his mind these days that the bird could do just that. Saying so would probably have made him sound crazy though. "Aome, could you let Kaito know where I am?"

Both humans watched as the dove took flight once more, cutting a graceful path through the room and out into the open sky. The sight made Shinichi feel oddly at peace, as though he could almost read the promise in its unfettered motion that everything was going to be all right. Not just now, but for as long as the world could hold such a beautiful sight as a bird soaring free against the clear, blue sky.

X

Kaito was starting to get worried. He'd run around what felt like half this city and there was still no sign of his missing companion. He'd even found the city hospital and asked around there before winding up at the library where he'd gone through all the aisles before taking a break at one of the library computers. The technology in this world didn't seem quite as advanced as the technology back home, but that just made the things he had to do easier.

He was just debating whether he should go to the local police station and ask for Shinichi there when Aome finally returned. She landed a bit more heavily on his outstretched hand than she usually did (tired perhaps?) but her happy coos told him all he needed to know.

"It seems your luck was better than mine today huh," he remarked, stroking her head lightly with a finger. "That's an impressive feat in itself you know. Would you like to show me the way now or do you want to rest a bit? No? All right, let's go then."

He was mildly surprised to find himself being directed down a street he'd passed several times earlier in the day until Aome turned her blue gaze to a particular door. Well, that would certainly explain why he hadn't seen Shinichi. It hadn't crossed his mind that he might have to look inside people's private homes (unless someone in those homes was screaming about materializing people, which no one had). Aome seemed pretty sure of herself though so he knocked on the door.

"It's open!" a woman's voice called from inside.

Marveling again at the oddly careless attitude the people here seemed to have about strangers, he opened the door and stepped inside.

It was pure instinct that had him up in the air moments before the floor beneath his feet gave way. Aome gave out a shrill cry as she was nearly flung off of his shoulder by the sudden movement. There was a gasp from farther inside the house then a woman with short, honey colored hair appeared in the front hall just on the other side of the trapdoor he'd almost fallen through.

"Oh my, I must have turned it on when Dai left without even realizing," she said, giggling at the realization before she spied the boy up in the corner of the ceiling over the door. "Eh? Who're you?" Then her eyes landed on Aome and they lit up with understanding. "Ah, you must be Kudo-kun's friend! We've been waiting for you! I'm so sorry about the floor. Here, just let me close it up for you."

"No need," Kaito said before the woman could move. Calculating the distance with his eyes, he pushed away from his perch and landed lightly on the other side of the hole in the floor. Once there he offered the surprised woman a sweeping bow. A rose appeared in his hand and he offered it to her with a grin. "I'm Kuroba Kaito, magician extraordinaire! Thank you for looking after my friend."

"It was no trouble at all," she said, beaming if slightly flustered. She'd never met anyone quite like this young man before, she noted with some delight (and maybe a bit of surprise too. This Kaito really did look a lot like her other guest, if maybe a little taller and wilder around the edges). "Right this way. Sorry again about the trapdoor, but I must say you handled it really well. Oh I forgot to introduce myself didn't I? I'm Niwa Emiko—just call me Emiko. And here we are! Kudo-kun, your friend is here."

Shinichi looked up to see Kaito with a rather bemused look on his face. The expression vanished the moment he spied the detective however and he disappeared in a cloud of smoke to reappear next to the couch, earning a startled exclamation from their host.

"How's your leg?" he asked, leaning over for a better look. Someone had obviously done a good job tending and bandaging the wound.

"It grazed the bone but nothing's broken. Really it looks worse than it is." Shinichi frowned, catching a glimpse of bandages peeking out from under Kaito's collar. "Your shoulder—"

"Just a flesh wound," the magician assured him. "So can you walk? We should get going before we wear out our welcome."

"Oh, that's all right," Emiko interjected. "You're welcome to stay longer."

"Thank you, but we shouldn't impose," Shinichi replied, swinging his legs over the edge of the couch and gingerly standing up. Biting back a hiss as a stab of pain shot up his leg, he turned to Kaito. "I can walk, but I'm not sure for how long."

"It isn't far."

Both boys thanked their host again before heading out the door, followed by her invitation to visit again soon. The moment they were outside, Shinichi shot the magician a puzzled look.

"Where exactly are we going?"

"Well you see, while I was running all over town this morning I found a small apartment not far from here that was up for rent. The landlord was willing to waive our first two payments as long as we cleaned and fixed the place up."

"Are you serious?" The detective couldn't keep the incredulity out of his voice.

By now the thief was wearing a rather self-satisfied smirk. "Completely. Lady Luck's always smiled on me, if I do say so myself."

" . . .Right . . . So what else have you been up to?"

"Looking for you mostly, but I think I got a pretty good feel for this place while I was at it. We're still not home yet—though you probably knew that already. But get this, there's a famous thief in this world too—"

"Oh lord . . ."

"—Calls himself Dark or something like that. They speak Japanese, but the city looks more European to me. Otherwise it seems fairly normal. How about you? Anything happen while I was away?"

"No. I've been at the Niwas' since we got here. Though I've been thinking—"

"Are you ever _not_?"

Shinichi rolled his eyes. "Shut up and listen for a moment, will you? We need to stock up on supplies since we didn't get to before we left that last world, but I've been thinking and even if the money we do have works here, I'm not sure if leaving otherworldly money scattered throughout the universes is a good idea."

"Yeah, we'd probably be arrested for counterfeiting eventually."

" . . .I was thinking more along the lines of it possibly interfering with their currency flow, but I guess the results would be similar to having counterfeit bills floating around."

"Exactly, which is why I'm starting work tomorrow."

"What?" The detective turned to stare at him.

The magician laughed. "I saw this help-wanted ad earlier and thought I'd try for it. Had to do a little hacking to get my papers to check out, but they like me."

"Okay . . .so who's 'they' exactly?"

"It's a jewelry shop downtown. Owner's an interesting lady."

Shinichi walked for a moment in silence, imagining Kaito behind the counter in a jewelry shop. For some reason the Kaito in his mental image kept insisting on turning into Kaitou KID. He shook the image away. It was just—too wrong to even contemplate. On the flip side, no one could say that Kaito didn't have the knowledge to qualify for the job. And from what he'd come to know of the magician he could probably sell anything to anyone.

Now there was a frightening thought.

Kaito kept a careful eye on the detective as he led the way through the city streets. He would have offered to carry the other teen if he wasn't fairly sure the detective would be greatly offended, sensible suggestion or no (admittedly, he wouldn't have bothered with asking if he didn't think his own shoulder injury might act up if the detective struggled, which he no doubt would). Sometimes he really lamented how illogically stubborn most of the people he knew could be. Or he would lament it if it didn't make them so much more interesting to play with.

Ugh, he was really starting to miss his heists. It hadn't been an issue before since he'd been focused on all the new things to see and explore on top of the more immediate problems like shelter and finding out what in the world was going on, but hearing that this world had its own phantom thief was really making him itch. He wondered idly if this was some form of home sickness—the desire for a familiar pastime he'd always had fun with.

Well, there would be time to think about that later.

X

"This place is a mess."

"Yeah, well, I was kind of expecting that if the owner is willing to trade money payments for us cleaning the place."

"It looks like a family of tornados lived here. With frequent visits from Cousin Dust Devil." Letting out a tired sigh, Shinichi sank onto the couch, grimacing a bit at the dust that puffed up around him at the motion. This place didn't need cleaning, he thought, so much as it needed to be knocked down and rebuilt. Exhaustion was pulling at his eyelids and all he really wanted to do was sleep, but he'd probably suffocate if he tried amidst all this dust. He was also in desperate need of a change of clothes, but again the current surroundings rendered changing pointless. No clothes could stay clean in his mess. The next best thing would have been a really, really, really big mug of piping hot coffee, but that was equally, if not more, out of reach. He sighed. "We really should open the windows."

"And eat something," Kaito agreed, tossing the small, black wizards' box to him. "I'm starving. How 'bout I open the windows and you see what we've got left in there?"

It was probably, by far, the least glamorous introduction a person could possibly have to a new world, but it was a beginning nonetheless. At least this place seemed peaceful.

"I need to make a quick trip to drop off the rest of my paperwork," Kaito announced when they'd finished their ragtag meal. "Are you going to be all right if I leave you here?"

Shinichi rolled his eyes. "I've been living on my own since I was fourteen. I think I can handle being here by myself for a few hours." He sighed, glancing around at the less than welcoming apartment. Being alone wasn't going to be an issue, he was fairly used to that, but he was probably going to end up bored out of his mind unless he could manage to sleep despite the dust. "I don't suppose you have a book stashed away somewhere that I could borrow?"

"No, can't say I do," Kaito replied, sounding a bit apologetic (like he should have had one). "Although . . ." he continued, a sudden thought lighting his eyes as he snapped his fingers, conjuring a sheaf of paper which he dropped into the detective's lap. "I do have this!"

Curious, Shinichi picked up the paper and turned it over. He blinked.

"Is this a heist notice?" he asked incredulously.

Kaito grinned with a touch of regret. "Yep, was supposed to be for my next heist, but well, then all this happened."

"And you're giving it to me because . . .?"

"You wanted something to stave off boredom, right?"

Shinichi blinked again, processing the query, then laughed. Feeling oddly light but in a good, warm sort of way, he turned his attention back to the note. "Thank you."

The thief's grin softened into a smile though the detective couldn't see it. "No problem. At least this way my efforts aren't going to waste. I'll write you another one when I get back. Hopefully the wind will have carried off enough of this free-floating dust by then for us to breathe properly."

X

Niwa Daiskue slipped off his shoes and peeked into the living room, expecting to see the teenager he'd knocked over that morning. Finding no one, he blinked in surprise before making his way into the kitchen.

"Hello Dai," his mom greeted him, cheerful as ever. "How was school?"

"It was okay," the boy replied. "Uh, so where did—"

"Kudo-kun go? Don't worry, his friend came to pick him up."

"That's good." Smiling, the redhead was about to head back upstairs when his mother stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. Surprised, he looked up to find her smiling brightly.

"You have another job tonight," she told him, excitement dancing in her eyes.

The boy's eyes widened and he squawked, "What? But it's only been three days since the last one!"

"You'll be leaving in an hour," she continued without pause. "So you'd better go get ready~!"

"Does this have something to do with that disturbance you and Grandpa mentioned this morning?"

"Oh no, not at all. You'll be going after the Eye of Shrines. I'm sure you've seen it on the news. Now go on, time is ticking!"

The boy let out a longsuffering sigh but he was too used to this scenario and knew protesting would be futile. An hour later he stood in the middle of his room and held up a photograph of a girl with brown hair and brown eyes. In moments red hair bled to purple as the spirit that dwelled in Niwa Daisuke's DNA surfaced. Not long after that the thief who called himself Dark was making his way through the night sky on pitch black wings.

X

Inspector Yagi looked from the application on his desk to the teenage boy sitting across from him. Was the rest of the precinct playing some kind of joke on him? Seriously, he knew there was one kid working with the police these days, but that was a special case. Hiwatari Satoshi's father was a high ranking officer after all. But this boy . . . He claimed to have experience, albeit unofficial, but honestly, he'd never been through their training program (and hadn't even asked to participate in it). Well, he'd go along with it for now and see who came to laugh at him later.

"So . . .how old did you say you were again?"

"Eighteen," the boy replied, looking him straight in the eyes and sounding like there was nothing at all odd about this situation. Like he really was interviewing and intended to get a job. Whoever was pulling this prank, the inspector thought, they'd found a damned good actor for it. Well, he had a few tricks up his own sleeves too.

Pulling out a drawer, he extracted a set of files and set them on the desk between himself and the boy. "Your grasp of procedure is very thorough, but I've always felt the ability to regurgitate facts and rules can't really tell me if a person is prepared for this kind of work or not. So you see these? These are the various pieces of information we had regarding five different cases. They've all been solved already, but I want you to take a look and tell me what you think."

The boy took the file without hesitation and began flipping through the information. His face showed only intense concentration despite the handful of somewhat gruesome photographs the inspector knew were in that folder. What was up with this kid? Even some of the older officers would have flinched upon seeing those for the first time. Twenty minutes later the inspector could only gape. Five old cases. Every last one solved like—like—well, like they had the answers written all over them (which he knew for a fact wasn't true). And he remembered some of those cases! It had taken days to solve most of them! This had to be some kind of crazy fluke. Someone must have given the boy answers, but how? Or maybe the boy was one of those people who liked reading old newspapers? Ugh, these kinds of things just weren't supposed to happen. People were supposed to complete the training program and be sent to them. They weren't supposed to come walking in looking for a job! Especially not a job as a police detective. On the other hand, if this wasn't some grand prank and this kid really could—but no, he couldn't think like that. Not without some good, hard proof anyway.

"Come with me," he said abruptly, getting to his feet and making for the door. The boy gave him a confused look but obliged.

For his part, Shinichi was mentally praying that Kaito's hacking and assorted other related skills were as good as he claimed they were (and feeling guilty that he was wishing anything of the sort, but there wasn't any help for it). If they did notice, he'd probably end up spending the rest of his time in this world in jail. It was not a pleasant idea. At least he knew Kaito was thorough. He himself had spent the last few days ensconced in the local library giving himself a crash course in local laws and history. It had had the added bonus of taking his mind off of his healing leg injury. He'd never been the most patient of patients, but it helped to have something productive to do (that wasn't cleaning—oh god the cleaning . . . He so did not need to be thinking about that right now).

Inspector Yagi led the way out of the station, one eye trained on the faces of every officer they passed in search of any telltale signs of a prankster. All the faces he saw however exhibited only curiosity. It was definitely starting to look less and less like a hoax . . .

Well, he'd hold off on any further judgment until he'd gotten the boy on an actual crime scene and seen how he handled himself. Unorthodox as the whole thing was, if he could really solve cases like the ones in that folder as quickly as he had then Yagi himself would recommend him. It wasn't every day you ran across someone with that kind of talent.

X

The apartment door creaked as Shinichi pushed it open, reminding him that they should probably look for some oil for the hinges. Locking the door behind himself, he deposited his keys on the kitchen table and glanced around the house. Where to begin today . . .

He'd mentally divided the apartment up into numerous smaller sectors and made it a goal to clean at least one sector a day. Kaito helped when he had the time, but the shop he'd gotten himself hired by was apparently a fairly busy one so Shinichi had taken it upon himself to at least make the place feel livable. Yet even after all the work he'd put into it the place was still . . .well . . . It was probably best just to say that it wasn't the kind of place you'd invite friends to. Or at least not friends you wanted to keep.

At least he'd only found the one dead rat.

He'd gotten the kitchen in working order first. It had struck him as the most important since there was no way eating anything made or kept in it in its former state could have been healthy. The last thing they needed was to add to their already complicated situation by getting sick. For similar reasons he'd cleaned the bathroom after that. Now most of the living room was decent (they'd been sleeping on the moth-eaten couches), so perhaps he should go ahead and finish cleaning that room out.

Arming himself with the vacuum cleaner the landlord had provided, he made his way into the living room and turned it on. The noise masked the sound of the front door opening and closing.

"So how did it go?"

Shinichi jumped, smacking the head of the vacuum into the table he'd been vacuuming under, and looked around to see Kaito. His thoughts were momentarily derailed when he noticed the dove sitting on the magician's head. Apparently Kaito's hair looked like a bird's nest because it really did have the occasional bird nesting in it. Pulling his thoughts back to the present, he turned the setting on the vacuum down so that it wasn't as noisy.

"They've agreed to take me on for a trial period, but they keep looking at me like they're expecting me to turn around and say I'm kidding." He made an exasperated face at the memory. It seemed he just couldn't get away from all the skepticism no matter what world he was in. It was like being Conan again only worse because he couldn't borrow a more authoritative voice to get people to listen to what he had to say. But he supposed it was at least less awkward than the last few weeks he'd been spending back home trying to 'reacquaint' himself with the Beika police (having to interact with people he'd come to know so well as Conan like they were near strangers was far more taxing than he'd care to admit—not that there were many people to tell). "How about you?"

"Business as usual. Sales were particularly bountiful today. I even got a bonus, so I thought I'd pick up some groceries and—ah yes, here it is! This is for you!"

Shinichi looked dubiously from the object that had just been flourished then shoved into his hands to the magician and back again. "An alarm clock?"

Kaito only grinned. "This apartment doesn't have any timekeeping devises. And we wouldn't want you to be late to work now, would we?"

" . . .Why do I feel like you're implying I would be late without this thing?"

"_Just five more minutes Ran-neechan_," the magician recited, mimicking Shinichi's voice complete with sleep induced slur.

Shinichi flushed red in embarrassment. Ducking his head in an attempt to hide it, he turned his back on the snickering magician.

"It's not easy growing up ten years again in a day you know," he muttered, turning the vacuum's power back up. "I would appreciate it if you didn't rub it in my face."

Kaito stopped laughing. There had been more than a hint of bitterness in that sentiment (probably more than his companion had meant to let slip). And he found himself feeling a little guilty—something he almost never was. He hadn't meant to poke at what was apparently an open wound.

"I'm sorry," he said finally, watching as Shinichi poked the head of the vacuum into a particularly unpleasant looking corner behind the pot of withered plants they hadn't found time yet to evacuate.

Shinichi stilled in his work for a moment, glancing up at something only he could see, then sighed and resumed his assault on the dust bunnies. "It's all right. It's my problem anyway. Just forget about it."

The weary note in the detective's voice left Kaito feeling oddly unsettled. It occurred to him that while he knew the general story of his companion's rather bizarre recent years of life, he had never considered what kinds of marks it might have left.

"I'm gonna go drag those mattresses from the back room out to sun and see if there's anything living in them," he announced before retreating to the hall to grab several garbage bags just in case he really did find something unsavory. He had a lot to think about.

X

"Dark's sent another warning letter!"

"Dark?" Shinichi repeated, turning a puzzled look to the officer nearest him. He seemed to recall Kaito mentioning that name before. If he remembered correctly, it had been when he'd mentioned—oh no . . . "Who's that?"

The officer gave him an incredulous look. "Dark the Phantom Thief? Flies and steals works of art?"

"Oh, I do remember hearing something about him."

Yep, so he'd remembered correctly. And of course it'd be too much to ask, especially with his luck, that they not have to cross paths with this world's own infamous thief. Well, at least it wasn't a killer, he thought wryly. Then he paused. Why was he assuming that another thief would have Kaito's principles? That was stupid. KID had always been weird that way. It was one of his quirks, like returning the things he stole (which was definitely an abnormal trait in thieves of any kind).

Well, there was one way to know for sure. He was starting to become very well acquainted with this city library.

An hour or so of research later he felt he could be confident in saying that his fears had been misplaced. This thief wasn't known to hurt people either, even if it wasn't a stated policy. From what Shinichi had read this Dark's heists were a lot more straight forward than Kaito's (not that that was hard). There were no riddles and no traps. Just a simple notice and a theft (permanent). Or at least that was how most of the reports came across. There were a few mentions here and there of odd happenings, but nothing concrete. The one really abnormal thing that everyone seemed to agree on was that this thief sometimes had wings. Not the glider kind like Kaito's, but real, honest to goodness wings.

He wasn't sure if he believed these reports, but lately he'd learned to hold off on the judgment when it came to what could be real and what couldn't.

Still, despite the lack of flash and flare Dark had a lot of fans and was purportedly rather cocky. It kind of made a person wonder. Was there some kind of unwritten law of the universes that all phantom thieves have big egos? And that they somehow be wildly popular despite the fact? It was definitely one of those mysteries of existence he'd never understand.

"Kudo-kun! It's time to leave."

"Well, here goes nothing," he sighed, dropping the last newspaper he'd borrowed onto the table and trailing after the departing police. He wasn't even sure why they had asked him to come along except that they seemed to be going for the 'the more the merrier' approach.

X

Dark frowned. The police were being sharper today than they usually were while the Hiwatari kid was out of town and he'd wondered for a few minutes if perhaps the boy had come back unannounced (it wouldn't be the first time), but at the same time the force wasn't as organized as they would have been had that been the case. It felt more like someone had maybe gone around before the heist and pointed out places and things the police should pay attention to. And done a damned good job at it too. Still, unorganized was still unorganized.

He was on his way out, ring in hand, when the oddly familiar voice called out.

"So you're Dark. I was wondering, is there a reason you feel no need to hide your face?"

"Why bother?" Turning, the thief's eyebrows rose. :Hey Daisuke, isn't that the guy you ran over the other morning?:

:I didn't run over him,: his alter ego protested. :But yeah, it is . . . I wonder what he's doing here.:

:Seems to me like he's working with the police.:

Dark waited, curious to see what the boy would do.

He was not expecting the _soccer ball_ that popped out of what looked like nowhere to come spinning towards his face. What the hell?

Unexpected as it was, Dark wouldn't have been the thief he was if he couldn't deal with surprises. He twisted out of the way and the black and white projectile missed him by a hair. He saw it hit one of the museum's pillars out of the corner of his eye and ducked as it rebounded to come at him again. The Kudo boy spun as his own ball reached him, catching it with a kick for a second launch.

_This could go on forever_, the thief thought, torn between exasperation and amusement at this weird, weird duel. Weaving around the second volley, he fetched up right in front of the startled teen and deflected the ball from its attempt to return to its master as he mentally called out for his familiar. An instant later black wings snapped out and Kudo stumbled back, eyes wide with surprise.

"I think there's probably a rule somewhere about playing recreational sports inside museums," he remarked before taking off with two beats of his wings.

It wasn't until he'd flown out the window he'd left open that he noticed something was missing. He flapped his wings, coming to an almost standstill in midair as he checked all his pockets. Nothing.

For a moment he hovered there, torn between disbelief and indignation, then the indignation won and he swore out loud.

"That kid must have taken it when I was dealing with the soccer ball." The nerve! And he'd been too busy being amused by said ball to notice. Great. Last time he was ever making that mistake. It was the first time he'd ever actually failed to leave with his target. Or it would be if he allowed it. _No way_ was he leaving without that ring! Scowling, he doubled back under the searchlights, his dark clothes and wings blending him into the night. He didn't usually use magic when dealing with opponents who didn't use it themselves, but he'd make an exception for this.

X

Shinichi turned the ring over in his hands as he made his way through the museum's deserted halls. It was solid gold, true, but unadorned and of a fairly simple design. Why had it been targeted? From what he'd heard, nothing Dark had ever stolen had ever showed up on the markets, legal or illegal. In fact they were generally never seen again.

Was he just some kind of art fanatic? Or was there something more to it?

A soft rustle caught his attention and he stopped walking. Looking carefully into each shadow around him he found nothing out of the ordinary. It had been a quiet sound though so maybe he'd imagined it. Turning back in the direction of the main entrance, he stopped abruptly. There was something drifting slowly down through the air. On an impulse he reached out and caught it—

"Kudo-kun! Kudo-kun, are you all right?"

Shinichi blinked slowly. He was looking up into one of the officer's worried faces. The man helped him into a sitting position and he realized that he had been lying on the museum floor.

"What happened?" he wondered aloud, confused.

"He must have knocked you out. Can you walk all right?"

"I . . .yeah." Getting to his feet, Shinichi trailed after the officer in a slight daze.

He knew he hadn't been hit. His head didn't hurt. Gas maybe?

The last thing he remembered was a black feather floating down from the ceiling. Then . . .nothing.

X

"You were _where_?"

"At the heist. And why do you keep asking? I've only told you like ten times already."

"But I thought you only do homicide cases!"

Shinichi gave him a look. "Have you ever killed anyone?"

"Of course not, but that's different!"

Now Shinichi had to stare. He'd never seen the magician so obviously irritated. "What's gotten into you? They hired me. If they want me at a heist, I kind of have to go. Though I'm still not sure why they wanted me there."

The magician shot him a dark look before disappearing into the kitchen without another word, leaving Shinichi more than a little confused. Deciding it was just easier to file it under the many things about the magician that would probably never make any sense to anyone but the man himself, he picked up his coffee mug and inhaled deeply. Ah coffee, he thought happily, the saving grace for weary souls.

Kaito stood in the kitchen, drumming his fingers on the counter as he mulled over recent events. He had never liked sharing the spotlight, and this felt an awful lot like being upstaged. Not, of course, that he'd even been there, but still . . .

His thoughts were interrupted by a tapping noise from the window over the sink. Turning, he found a familiar, white shape perched on the outside sill. A smile made its way onto his face as he opened the window and let the Duel Monster inside. Aome hopped onto the window's inner sill the moment the intervening glass was gone and dropped a glossy pamphlet into the magician's waiting hands with a happy coo.

"It's good to see you too," he told her, offering her a grape from the nearest grocery bag.

He glanced over the pamphlet halfheartedly, mind still occupied with his earlier unsettled feelings, then paused and stared at it for a long moment before a grin slowly spread itself across his face.

"Oh Shinichi~," he sang out as he made a beeline for the living room.

The detective jerked around in his seat, nearly spilling his coffee, and stared warily at the grinning magician. Kaito rarely ever called him by name (he seemed to have some kind of obsession with nicknames), and that maniacal note in his voice was really putting Shinichi on edge (not to mention the sudden one-eighty in attitude). It kind of made him want to run away really, really fast.

"What is it?" he asked tentatively, not sure he really wanted to know but sure he was going to find out anyway.

Kaito's grin widened impossibly and he dropped the pamphlet into the detective's lap without a word. The detective looked from that slightly creepy grin to the pamphlet. It was an advertisement for an upcoming museum exhibition. And there on the front was a photograph of the leading attraction—a mysterious artifact said to have fallen from the very heavens themselves.

His jaw dropped. "But that's . . ."

"The Angel's Passing Grace, not that they know that." Kaito was beaming, indigo eyes bright with obvious excitement. "I think it's time this world is introduced to the one and only Kaitou KID!"

"Just don't get carried away writing your notice," Shinichi sighed after a long, long moment's pause. "Remember, this world might not have the same mythology and certainly not the same history as ours."

"That, my dear Tantei-kun, is where research comes in."

X

The following days saw their relatively peaceful existence in this world being turned upside down and inside out. It seemed to Shinichi like maybe Kaito had been bored, this world being fairly normal as worlds seemed to go and him having nothing to do that would actually challenge him. Shinichi at least had cases to work on (it was this thought that stopped Shinichi from pointing out that there would be a lot less hassle if Kaito just slipped in and took their gem with no one being the wiser). And now that the magician had been given the opportunity he was practically bouncing off the walls. It was nice to see him obviously having so much fun. Still, the detective wasn't sure what he was supposed to think about the fact that his housemate was running around planning a heist while he himself sat reading over case files. Sure it was kind of necessary, and he knew the gem in question didn't actually belong to anyone in this world, but it seemed like the universe should rebel at having a detective and a thief literally doing their work side by side in the same room. He could look up from his files to see Kaito pouring over blueprints across the table (where he'd gotten a hold of said blueprints Shinichi had no idea and didn't really want to ask, it would just make everything all that much stranger). He had a momentary freak out when he walked into the apartment one afternoon to see a blond-haired, green-eyed, middle-aged man sitting in the kitchen before the intruder grinned and he realized it was Kaito in disguise (as one of the museum's curators, it turned out), but he was starting to get used to all the hustle and bustle that was Kaito preparing for a heist. Not that it made it any less weird to see a heist from this end of things.

Truth be told part of him was morbidly curious to see how this world would react to being forced to meet Kaitou KID—and a Kaitou KID who seemed hell bent on making up for lost time at that. From what he'd seen it seemed Dark annoyed the police because he always got away, but KID annoyed the police because he went out of his way to do just that before he got away. Kaito might have to work extra hard though if he wanted his tricks to surprise them seeing as their usual thief had real wings and possibly other supernatural powers, but he had a feeling that KID's showman tendencies may surprise the city's police more than his tricks.

That was provided the police realized in time that KID wasn't some upstart wannabe or prank anyway. That part might be a problem . . .

The initial reaction at the police station at the arrival of KID's heist notice had been confusion.

"What the hell is this supposed to be?" Saehara, the man generally in charge of Dark's heists when the person they called Hiwatari wasn't around, had demanded of the officer who had found the card in the mail and delivered it to him.

"I thought maybe it was one of those Dark copycats," the man had replied with a sheepish shrug. "I mean, it wouldn't be the first time, right?"

Shinichi, who had overheard the exchange, coughed into his hand to hide a snort of laughter. He could just imagine Kaito's face if he heard they thought him a mere copycat. To say the magician was territorial about his title and work would be a monstrous understatement (something Shinichi had known long before he came to know the thief personally).

The inspector read it over again and snorted. "It doesn't even make sense! Throw it away or something, we have more important things to deal with than this nonsense."

"But what if it's not nonsense?" the other officer wondered, taking the note back.

"Well, what else could it be?"

"Uh . . .it could be for real . . .?" the slightly confused officer suggested.

"But it doesn't say what this—KID? What kind of name is that?—anyway, it doesn't say what he wants. It's just a bunch of nonsense. Just because whoever it is signed off as a phantom thief doesn't make him one. He'd have to have a goal first."

Unable to just stand by and listen to the bizarre argument anymore (and maybe feeling a little anxiety over how disappointed he was sure Kaito would be if they dismissed him just because they thought the note was a hoax), Shinichi cleared his throat. "It's just a thought, but maybe it's a riddle?"

Both officers turned to him with matching expressions of surprise. Neither had noticed his presence until that point it seemed. "And what makes you say that?"

"Can I see that for a moment?" he asked, holding out his hand. They passed him the note and waited as he read it over.

Kaito had apparently heeded his warning and this notice was much simpler than his usual, even if he hadn't been able to resist making it a riddle. Then again, that was almost a KID trademark these days, so he supposed that was no surprise.

"Well?" Saehara prodded, growing impatient.

"I was just thinking about the name of the lady referred to in that first line . . . If you switch it around a bit, it's actually an anagram for the name of the city art museum."

Two pairs of eyes stared at him then down at the writing on the card. They blinked.

"You're right," the inspector said in mild surprise.

"And then there's this phrase here referring to her treasure: _the tear shed in an angel's flight_." He gestured to the words in question. "What does that make you think of?"

"Tears . . ." The officer who'd found the note frowned. "I don't think there's anything in the museum right now that has anything to do with either tears or angels."

"But there is that strange stone they found . . ." Inspector Saehara said slowly. "The one that looks like a feather. So perhaps the line is actually referring to what might fall when something like an angel is in flight."

Shinichi watched as the two men bent back over the note with identical frowns of concentration. Well, now that he'd gotten them on the right track, he'd just leave them be and see how it all went. He felt kind of bad both about having given them part of the answer and for not helping them more. It was a strange feeling and he wasn't sure what he was supposed to do about it. Wasn't it wrong to withhold information like this? But at the same time he wanted KID to acquire his target. It was only natural, really, since they needed it to move on from this world, but he would be lying if he said that was the only reason.

To some degree he knew, mortifying as it was to admit it even to himself, that he had given the police the information he did because without it the police might have ignored the magician altogether and he knew Kaito would be extremely disappointed if it came to that (and probably proceed to cause mass mayhem in retaliation, but that was beside the point). He _wanted_ Kaito to have fun with this. He deserved it with all the stuff that had been going on. They'd both had more than their fair share of stress after all.

Still, he shouldn't be thinking this way. He was a detective! He shouldn't be rooting for a thief, even if that thief was a friend. At best he should be resigned to the necessity of the situation.

Pushing the bewildering collection of thoughts aside to puzzle over later, he packed up the rest of his work and excused himself. It was getting late.

The city streets flowed with a sluggish tide of people out for an evening stroll or making their ways home from work. He was passing a grocery shop when he spotted a familiar head of bright, red hair coming out.

"Niwa-kun," he greeted the boy who jumped at the sound of his voice and spun around to face him.

"Oh! Uh, hey Kudo-san," the redhead stammered, scratching at the back of his head as he laughed a bit nervously.

Shinichi smiled, wondering why the boy seemed so anxious. "I'm sorry I didn't say goodbye before I left. I really did appreciate the help from you and your family."

"Oh, no, that's okay," Daisuke assured him, visibly relaxing. "Is your leg healed now?" At Shinichi's nod, the boy hefted his grocery bags higher up in his arms. "That's good. Um, I don't mean to be rude or anything, but I have to get these to Mom so . . ."

"Better hurry then. Goodbye."

"It was nice seeing you again." With that, the boy started down the street in a half run.

Shinichi watched him go, a bit confused. It was obvious the boy had been unnerved by him, but why? Was it something he'd said? Thinking back, he couldn't recall having said anything that might make a person nervous. Was it his presence then? There didn't seem to be a reason for his presence to make Daisuke nervous either. Buying groceries wasn't anything to be ashamed of after all.

He let out a quiet breath and continued walking. He'd always been taught it was rude not to say hello to someone you knew if you saw them, but perhaps not everyone felt that way. Or maybe it had been something he'd said after all? Being social had never been his strong point, and this world might have some subtle customs he'd somehow violated without knowing. Shaking away the unhelpful thoughts, he turned his attention to what he should make for dinner.

X

"Hey Shinichi."

"Hmm?"

"Why don't we go watch a movie?"

Shinichi paused for a moment in his perusal of the papers then looked up at the magician in puzzlement. "Why?"

"Think about it. This is a different world, so there's bound to be movies here we can't see back home."

"But why do you suddenly want to go watch a movie?" the detective prodded, still confused. "Shouldn't you be putting the finishing touches on your plans or something?"

"Nah, everything's just about done. I just thought we should do something normal for once since in all likelihood we'll be leaving soon. You know, relax, look around, and have some fun. I mean, so far we've always done everything in order to get by and find our translocater. I say it's about time we do something just for the sake of it—call it experiencing. Come on, it'll be interesting."

"I . . .guess I wouldn't mind."

"Oh, and I wanted to swing by the museum one last time before the show. And make sure they understand they can't ignore me," he added as an afterthought.

"What does _that_ mean?"

"Hmm? What does what mean?"

"You know what I'm talking about," he insisted, beginning to feel the first tendrils of anxiety at the non-answers and what they might mean. "That last bit. What are you going to do?"

"It's a surprise~!"

" . . ."

"Besides, weren't you the one who said they might not be taking me seriously?"

"True, but I know for a fact the police have finished decoding your note."

"Ah but the police aren't the only ones I have to convince, are they? There's the rest of my audience to consider! I'm going to make sure every biped in this city has its eyes open when the curtains go up."

And he probably would too, Shinichi thought a bit ruefully. Hopefully whatever he had planned wouldn't cause too much trouble.

X

It was weird, this sense of peace. And it made him wonder that he should find peace to be strange. That said a lot about his life, he supposed, little of it good. He couldn't remember the last time he'd just spent a day hanging out with friends, just going to the movies, the arcade, eating . . . Usually when he did he'd inevitably end up at a crime scene and any hope of a 'normal day out' went up in smoke. It happened so often that it had _become_ his normal, even if people like Ran kept reminding him it wasn't.

But they'd watched the movie, eaten lunch, visited a bookstore, and been to an arcade all without anyone getting killed. It felt . . .weird. But not in a bad way.

"You know, you really suck at video games."

Pulling himself out of his thoughts, Shinichi rolled his eyes at the magician. "Thanks, I needed you to tell me that."

The two of them had stopped for dinner on their way home at a café they had discovered offered fairly decent meals for nice, low prices. The sky had already grown dark but the fact that it was the weekend meant that the streets were still as lively as they had been during midday.

Leaning back in his seat, Kaito idly twirled a spoon through his fingers, drawing silver shapes in the air. "We've been traveling for nearly three months."

Shinichi nodded slowly. "That sounds about right."

"I never did like school much, but you know, we're missing graduation and college entrance exams."

"Yeah . . ." Grimacing, Shinichi closed his eyes for a moment, speaking more to himself than to Kaito. "And I still feel like I'm supposed to be finishing my first year of high school."

"I see . . . I suppose that would be a bit confusing," the magician mused. "Was your school letting you graduate this year?"

"It took a lot of work, but they did agree since I scored well on the exit exams. Though I think they'll probably have changed their minds by now."

"Or they might not have. You should learn to look on the bright side, Tantei-kun. I could have sworn I'd already told you that."

"Many times."

"Should work on those listening skills~."

" . . ."

"I wonder what they're doing back home. Mom's probably worried sick." His grin faded a little at the thought. He hated worrying her, but he'd chosen a path where he couldn't avoid doing so and he knew that, given the choice, he'd choose it again. Sometimes that made him feel a touch guilty, but not enough to change his mind. "Knowing Aoko, she probably has Hakuba and her dad looking for me by now. I wonder if they'll think to go see Koizumi . . ."

"Who's Koizumi?"

"Our class witch. Creepy girl. Red hair. Kind of obsessive. Tried to kill me once but she got over it."

"Oh." Not too long ago Shinichi would have scoffed at the idea of witches, but now . . . "Do you think she'd be able to tell them where you are?"

The magician shrugged. "Who knows? She does tend to know a lot of weird things, but this whole dimensional thing might be a bit too weird even for her . . ." He trailed off, remembering his own experiences with the witch, and shuddered. "Or maybe not. Anyway, what about you? Any supernatural mediators on your end?"

Shinichi snorted. "No. They probably won't really realize I'm gone for a few more weeks anyway." Blue eyes darkened slightly. "They'll assume I ran off on some case again."

Kaito hummed thoughtfully. "Were you serious when you said you've been living alone since you were fourteen?"

The detective gave him an odd look. "Of course. Why would I lie about that?"

"Just wondering why."

"They wanted to go to America, I didn't feel like moving."

"That's it?"

"Just about."

"Huh." The magician put the spoon down on his empty plate and traded it for his drink. It was slightly disturbing that his companion apparently saw nothing strange about the idea of someone that young being left to fend for themselves. No matter what way Kaito looked at it, it seemed a rather irresponsible thing for any parent to do, no matter how well the child in question could handle themselves. But he supposed that could explain why no one had bothered really looking for the detective when he'd disappeared. He'd always thought that was a bit odd, but there would have been no one at home to notice he was gone, at least not for a while, and only a handful of acquaintances who were apparently used to Shinichi up and disappearing.

He sipped at his juice, making a mental note to introduce Shinichi to his mother when they got home.

He paused and backtracked over his last thought before laughing. The great Kaitou KID had just thought that he should introduce a _detective_ to his mother. He'd been known to do some crazy things in his lifetime, but even he'd never expected himself to do something quite like that.

Casting a glance at his watch, he grinned and pushed his chair back as he stood. "It's time."

Even as the last syllable left his mouth shouts rang out through the night air and people began pointing skyward. The magician himself winked at his companion and disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

Shinichi blinked at the empty chair across the table for a moment then turned to follow the pointing fingers. He didn't have to look far to find what they were pointing out. There, somehow projected into the sky, was a larger-than-life image of Kaitou KID.

"Ladies and gentlement!" Kaito's voice rang out, echoing up and down every street in the city. "Good evening! I must say I have found my stay in this beautiful city most enjoyable, and thus it is my pleasure to welcome you all to the show. But don't forget," he added, leaning forward and raising a finger. "This is only the beginning. Don't look away! Three . . .two . . .one!"

And with a flash KID's image dissolved like smoke on the wind and the entire night sky was suddenly set ablaze as thousands upon thousands of small balls of light streaked in every direction—a rain of shooting stars. A few people shrieked, wondering if it would be safer to duck inside lest they be hit by whatever was flying through the air towards them, but most of the city stood in shocked wonder, unable to tear their eyes from the glittering display. As the falling lights drew nearer they slowed, each resolving itself into a tiny, paper lantern being gently lowered the rest of the way to the ground by its own little parachute. Hands reached out on reflex to pluck them from the air and several people began to laugh as others clapped.

Shinichi scooped one of the small, glowing things from the air and turned it around. There, grinning at him, was one of Kaitou KID's signature doodles, complete with KID's signature (and judging from the murmurs he could hear there were others in the crowd who recognized it from the notice that had been printed in the newspapers).

"So what did you think?"

He jumped and spun around to find Kaito grinning at him, dressed once again in nondescript civilian clothes. "You know, you could have wound up committing arson with a stunt like that."

Kaito gave him a mock sorrowful look. "Do you have so little faith in me?"

" . . .How did you manage to keep all those lanterns from going out anyway? Come to think of it, where did you _keep_ them all? I haven't seen any in the apartment."

The magician wagged a finger at him, that all too familiar smirk stretching across his face. "That's for me to know and you to figure out. Now come on, we passed a television store earlier. I want to get back there and see what they're saying on the news about me."

In a house elsewhere in the city, a redheaded boy was watching the news announcing the mysterious Kaitou KID's spectacular show that night with an incredulous, wide-eyed stare. "Is this guy for real?"

The voice of his counterpart laughed in his head. :Whoever he is, at least he's got style. I wonder where he's from. He seems to know what he's doing.:

"Mom thinks it's someone trying to copy you. At least that's what she said when she saw the note in the paper earlier this week."

:Maybe, but I doubt that. A copycat would've used my name.:

"Daisuke!"

The boy turned away from the TV. "Yes, Mom?"

"Come down to the basement! We need to talk to you!"

"Coming!" Shutting off the television, he hurried down to the basement where he found his mother and his grandfather standing next to a roaring fire. They were both dressed in the cloaks they wore when performing rituals. "What is it?"

"Do you remember that special disturbance we told you about before?"

Daisuke thought for a moment then nodded. "Yeah. The one you couldn't trace, right?"

His grandfather nodded, his expression solemn. "We found the source."

"Really? What is it?"

His mother and grandfather traded looks before the former cleared her throat. "It's that stone feather sculpture they're going to be displaying at the museum in two days. The thing is . . .there's nothing like this artifact in any of our records. It could be very dangerous."

Daisuke blinked then gasped. "But isn't that the item that new thief is going after?"

Emiko's eyebrows rose. "What are you talking about Dai?"

"It was just on the news," the boy explained. "He just made it rain lanterns all over the city and the police told the reporters that that weird note he sent before was a riddle saying he was going after that feather in two days."

The Niwas shared a long moment of thoughtful silence.

:Well, this is going to be interesting.:

X

"And score! They sure aren't ignoring me now."

"How could they after you go and introduce yourself like _that_?" Shinichi looked around from where he was scrambling eggs to see Kaito smirking as he read the newspaper.

"And I'm going to make sure they never forget me," the magician declared. "Hey, do you know where the scissors are? I'm going to cut these out. I can add them to my collection when we get home."

"You collect articles about yourself?" Shinichi asked incredulously before letting out a sigh. "Never mind, of course you do. I'm not sure why I was surprised. You left the scissors on the living room couch—which, by the way, is a really stupid place to leave sharp, pointy objects."

"Thanks," Kaito replied before disappearing in search of the wayward scissors, either not hearing or just not caring about the reprimand.

Shinichi let out a puff of air and returned to making sure he didn't burn their breakfast. It was odd really. The magician only seemed to have heard half the things he'd said all morning, too busy gloating over the torrent of articles about his stunt the previous night, but Shinichi was finding it surprisingly difficult to be annoyed about it. Then again, he supposed it wouldn't make much sense to get annoyed at someone for being happy about something. That or he was just getting more accustomed to his companion's antics.

Dividing the eggs onto two plates and adding a slice of toast to each, he carried the plates to the table and set them down. Spying the newspapers splayed there, he let his eyes skim quickly over the headlines. They caught on a line near the bottom and he frowned. He read it over again. It didn't change.

"Kaito?"

The magician appeared in a shower of confetti, scissors ready and waiting in hand. "Yes?"

Shinichi pointed without a word. Curious, his companion leaned over to peer at the article in question. Indigo eyes scanned it over quickly before a manic grin crept across his face.

"My, this calls for some extra planning."

"Aren't you the least bit worried about this?"

Kaito gave him an incredulous look. "Are you kidding? This is going to be awesome!"

Shinichi groaned inwardly. It just figured Kaito would see it as some sort of bonus. He was just that kind of crazy.

X

It started when Kaitou KID made his appearance in midair outside in front of the museum to greet his audience and wave hello to the police through the windows that looked into the museum's front hall and the location of the stone.

"What kind of fool wears white to go steal something?" Inspector Saehara had muttered under his breath. "It's like he's mocking us."

It took only about five minutes for every officer to realize that that was exactly what was happening.

Shinichi however didn't see much of it because moments before the chaos really broke loose something heavy landed against his back and he staggered forward. He might have fallen but for the arm that slung itself companionably across his shoulders.

"Say cheese~!" a familiar voice had sung out right into his ear at a near deafening volume.

"Wha—" he started only to cut himself off with a yelp as his entire field of vision filled with a brilliant flash of light. The arm disappeared along with the presence but he couldn't see a thing with the ultraviolet spots dancing merrily before his eyes. As he blinked in an attempt to make them go away he could hear shouts and dozens of pairs of running feet in every direction. The maelstrom of sound came to an abrupt halt as the last of his vision cleared and he looked up hurriedly. It wasn't hard to figure out what had happened.

Half the force had been caught up in a complex net of crisscrossing wires so thin they were practically invisible. Unable to move, they resembled a wax sculpture display of running men. Next to them a sign dangled from the ceiling, the words on it explaining that "Here we have an accurate depiction of the time honored policemen's chase, a habit observed in all species in this family". Not too far from that sign was Inspector Saehara trapped inside a cage with no visible doors. The sign tacked to the bars read "Saehara: A local species of police detective. Note the similarity in cries to the Nakamori". Shinichi groaned, his gaze dragging itself to the next sign despite his protests. This one adorned a much larger cage where the rest of the force stood in shock decked out in matching tie-dye T-shirts and it read "A native breed of police believed to be in the same family as those found in Tokyo. Notice the colorful spring plumage. Warning: Stay out of arm's reach, they can be very irritable".

For a long moment the entire museum was filled with a deafening silence. Then the very foundations of the building rocked with an explosion of confused and angry shouts. It was, Shinichi reflected, probably a very good thing that Kaito had remembered to disarm all of the officers. Said equipment had been piled up inside a large, glass box with its own label.

Standing in the middle of the room, KID spread his arms out in a grandiose gesture and announced, "Welcome to the grand opening of our new law enforcement exhibit!"

He was answered by a chorus of snarls and waving fists. They only made him laugh—much to the officers' increasing ire.

"Much as I hate to have to leave you all so soon, I do have other places to be. I'll see you later, Tantei-kun!" With that, the thief vanished in a puff of multicolored (how was that even _possible_?) smoke, leaving behind an empty display case and a lot of angry police.

Shinichi could feel several pairs of eyes glance his way at the thief's parting words, but he didn't have much time to think about it as he caught sight of movement in the shadows near one of the arches leading from the room. It looked like one of the officers had managed to avoid becoming part of Kaito's collection. But there was something about the way it moved . . . His instincts were telling him it wasn't an officer or KID in disguise. Moving into the shadows, he ran after it.

Later, when the bedraggled officers had been released from their respective traps and dragged themselves back to the police station to deal with the aftermath, Saehara had been seen shredding the sign from his personal cage (after it had been analyzed for prints and found wanting) as he snarled to himself.

"I'd rather deal with ten Darks than ever have to see that damned magician ever again!"

X

Kaito smirked as the darkly clad figure detached itself from the shadows by the door leading out onto the roof. "I've been expecting you, Dark-san."

The figure halted a good distance away, obviously wary. "Really."

He gave a careless shrug, nonchalance evident in every motion. "Yes, well, I thought I should say hello all considered it isn't every day two Kaitou declare their intentions on the same target."

"That's true," the other agreed, shifting slightly. That was when Kaito noticed that his opponent really did appear to have wings. Interesting. Did that mean perhaps that he wasn't human? Or was it all some kind of magic? "But the fact remains that only one of us is going to be leaving with that statue."

"Indeed." He swept into a stage bow, never taking his eyes off the other thief. "So sorry for your loss." That said, he stepped back and off the roof.

Back on the roof, Dark stood still for a moment in surprise. He was ninety percent sure that the other thief hadn't had any lines securing him, but the way he'd gone over the edge was definitely not one condusive to climbing. Then he caught a glimpse of something white and it clicked. A glider.

He laughed. Surely the guy didn't think a glider would be any match for his wings. The guy was either really confident or really foolish (probably the former). Five long strides and a flap of his wings and he was airborne, eyes scanning the sky for the telltale signs of white.

:Up there!: Daisuke's voice exclaimed in his mind.

Dark glanced up at the pale, triangular shape, studied it for a moment, and frowned. :No, that thing's too light on the wind. It must be a fake.:

Further searching revealed several more similar shapes—all equally false. Which probably meant . . . Violet eyes scanned the ground below. There! A flat roof with a door only a few blocks from the museum. There weren't all that many accessible roofs in this city and this one had a convenient wall around the top that would make staying out of sight from overhead eyes easy.

Circling back, Dark landed. The moment his feet touched the ground there was a flash of light. He threw up a hand to shield his eyes. When he could see again he met the cool gaze of his opponent. The other was leaning against the wall that surrounded the roof, white clothes painted gray by shadows, with one hand in his pocket and the other holding a—camera. That was unexpected. He'd obviously been waiting (definitely really confident).

"What kind of game are you playing?" There was just something strange about this person—something that didn't feel quite right that was telling him to keep his distance.

"Game? This is hardly anything so complex." Straightening and making the camera disappear in a puff of white smoke, he swept his now empty arm up in a grand, beckoning gesture. "This is the finale of the show."

Right on cue multiple lines of brilliant, orange flames streaked across the sky. Like luminous ink being tracked across dark paper by a painter's brush, the lines crisscrossed and came together until they formed the caricature and signature that Dark remembered seeing on the notice printed by the newspapers.

:Wow,: Daisuke marveled. :How did he _do_ that?:

:I bet it had something to do with those fakes. Hey, you're not cheering for the enemy here are you?:

"Nothing to say?" the mocking voice inquired. "Or are you just speechless?"

"Hardly," Dark retorted, gaze shifting from the blazing image in the sky back to man in white. "I was just giving you a few moments before you have to part with my statuette."

"Really?" KID withdrew the hand that had been in his pocket and examined the carved feather critically. "I don't seem to see your name on it."

"Neither is yours."

"That can be easily fixed." Fingers snapped and a pen appeared in his other hand.

Dark tensed. Someone randomly writing all over the magical artifact was _not_ part of the plan. Was that a permanent marker?

"Don't! You have no idea what you're holding," he exclaimed, sounding equal parts irritated and exasperated. Didn't this guy have any respect for art?

"I beg to differ," Kaito said airily. "I'm holding a trans-dimensional traveling device that has a tendency to shape-shift in moonlight." He couldn't help his widening grin at the other's obvious surprise. "So was there anything else you wanted to tell me or can we be on our separate ways?"

Dark's eyes narrowed slightly. "Tell me, what use could you possibly have for that stone?"

"I've been having a severe case of footloose-ness these days," Kaito half-lied with a casual wave of his pen as though brushing away an inconsequential matter. "I think this will solve it nicely. Don't you?"

"It's not a toy."

"I didn't say it was."

"I can't let you leave with that."

"Oh?" The magician tilted his head slightly, his monocle flashing almost menacingly in the shadows as his grin widened a fraction more. "Well, it's a good thing I didn't ask for your permission then."

The wings on Dark's back unfurled slightly and Kaito tensed, but a voice rang out before either of them could make a move.

"Hold it!"

Both thieves turned simultaneously to find Shinichi standing in the open doorway leading back into the building.

"Not you again," Dark groaned at the sight of the detective.

Kaito hid a snicker at that. He was probably enjoying this way too much, but hey, he certainly wasn't going to complain about that. "Hey Tantei-kun, you're a little late."

Shinichi turned to fix him with a withering glare. "You! Do you realize that you've probably ruined any chance of the police here ever letting me work with them again?"

"But we'll be leaving soon so it doesn't matter," the unrepentant thief replied, waving a hand dismissively.

"I don't think so," Dark cut in, picking up on the implications of the statement. "The spirit of that artifact is very powerful! You can't just play around with it as you please. It needs to be dealt with."

"Hold on a moment." Shinichi turned abruptly to focus all of his attention on the violet-eyed thief. "What spirit?"

Dark paused at that. With the way the other thief had been talking—and since said thief and the Kudo boy seemed to know each other—he'd assumed they knew. Hell, presuming what the magician had said wasn't a blind guess, they knew more about what the statuette's powers were than he did. All he knew was that whatever lay inside it had a lot more power than your run of the mill art piece.

:I think we should talk to them,: said Daisuke.

Dark raised a mental eyebrow. :Why?:

The boy was silent for a long moment before he spoke again a bit hesitantly. :I just have this feeling that we should. It feels . . .like they need that stone somehow.:

:Is that so.: Dark thought for a moment. Daisuke had always had good instincts for these things. :Fine, but since this is your idea you can do the talking.:

:Huh? Wha—wait! You can't just—: His protests died as he found himself back to normal, standing in front of two staring people who had just witnessed Dark turning into him. "Uh . . ."

"Niwa-kun?" Shinichi blinked but the redhead was still there, standing where the taller, purple-haired thief had been only moments ago.

"Yeah, uh, I can explain! But, c—can we go back to my house?"

Kaito glanced from the sheepishly smiling boy to Shinichi and back again. "Well, this certainly has been an entertaining night."

X

"You!" Emiko exclaimed the instant the door opened and her eyes landed on the visitors. Scowling fiercely, she leveled an accusing finger at Kaito's chest. "You're that copycat!"

The magician looked very offended as he placed a hand over hers and lowered it. "I am no such thing! I'll have you know in our world I've been famous internationally for years."

The woman didn't seem to hear him. "How dare you show your face at my house! You—"

"Please calm down, Niwa-san," Shinichi said quickly, stepping around Kaito and bowing politely to the woman. "We're very sorry for the intrusion."

"Kudo-kun!" Emiko took an involuntary step back as her eyes flicked from Shinichi back to Kaito. "But then you must be—"

"We thought it'd be better if we talked to them here," Daisuke explained quickly as he ushered everyone inside the house and shut the door.

"Talk?" Emiko's frown returned, though not quite as strongly this time. "About what?"

"We were wondering if you could tell us more about this," Kaito replied, opening his hand to reveal the stone feather before making it disappear again just as quickly. "Your son mentioned something about spirits. Though I must admit I am also rather curious as to why your son refers to himself with a plural pronoun."

Half an hour later everyone was seated in the living room. Kaito was still in full KID regalia and earning odd looks from the assorted members of the family, but not quite as odd as the look Shinichi was sure was stamped across his own face at Daisuke's garbled explanation as to how he and Dark both were and weren't one person. It made him think of ghosts and possessions but the redhead had exclaimed vehemently against that proposition.

An uncomfortable silence fell over the room and Shinichi found himself scrambling for something to say. "So . . .about this spirit . . .?"

"All works of art contain some of the hearts of their creators. The greater the piece, the stronger the spirit and its power," Daisuke explained. "Dark and I usually have to seal them so they can't cause any harm."

"So . . .if it has a spirit . . . Can you, I don't know, communicate with it?" he asked hesitantly.

"Sometimes," the redhead admitted. "But Dark says he's already tried with this one. It has some kind of presence, but it's not responding to us. He thinks it may only speak to you guys, since it's yours."

"But how do we do that?" Kaito inquired, interest lighting up indigo eyes.

"We don't know . . ." Daisuke looked away, apparently feeling guilty over his lack of ability to provide them with the answers they needed. "We're kind of more familiar with the sealing things away part . . ."

There was another uncomfortable silence. This time it was broken by Emiko standing up.

"So does anyone want some tea?"

X

The docks were quiet this time of the evening. The sky overhead shimmered with the golden hues of sunset and a gentle breeze whispered in from the sea, carrying with it a faint tang of salt.

Shinichi closed his eyes for a moment, just letting the sound of the lapping waves wash over him. It had been two days since that night spent at the Niwas. They hadn't been able to find anything else that might be a lead to unlocking the secrets of their gem, but the fact that they had learned anything new at all about it had been encouraging.

"Well, that's everything," a cheerful voice announced and he turned to see Kaito walking up behind him—in full KID costume. "You should've seen the landlord's face when he saw what we'd done to his place. He was so happy he nearly had a heart attack."

The detective stared. "Are you sure it wasn't abject horror? Or shock? You didn't go see him like that did you?"

"Of course not, and that's on all three counts. He wouldn't even let me pay him anything, so I went and got some extra supplies instead."

"So then why _are_ you wearing that?" The detective couldn't quite resist taking a quick look around to make sure no one was watching.

"My personal amusement. Don't look so worried. No one saw me."

"Well, if you're sure . . . So what did you get anyway?" he asked, curious.

"Oh, a little this and that." Kaito shrugged, then smirked.

Shinichi eyed that smirk for a moment before deciding he didn't want to know and turning back to the bay. A quiet sigh escaped his lips. "I'll never be able to look at art the same way again."

"Or collectable cards or wooden sticks and a whole lot of other things besides," Kaito agreed with a thoughtful grin as he moved to stand beside him. "But hey, you learn something new every day. That's the fun thing about being alive."

"Do you think there's really a spirit inside this stone?" Blue eyes peered down at what was now a dark green miniature, three-mast sailing ship. The detail was truly astounding, complete with webs of stone rigging that looked too delicate to touch (this had been proven to be misleading, and Shinichi was pretty sure even a sledgehammer couldn't crack a thread of that carved rope).

"Maybe, maybe not, but if there is, and we can find a way to communicate with it . . ."

"Then maybe we could ask it to take us home."

He was answered with a broader grin. "There have to be answers somewhere out there. We just need a little luck and a little patience. So, are you ready to go?"

Shinichi took one last look at the gleaming gold expanse of the bay before he nodded. "Yeah, let's go."

**TBC**

**

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**Next**: Sailing with Pirates [One Piece]

A.N: This chapter was frustratingly hard to write and I'll just apologize now for not having more of the DNA characters in this (but they were giving me grief). I am never writing in this universe again! Speaking of universes, thank you to everyone for your suggestions. I've picked out a little more than a dozen so far that I think I'll use. Their order however hasn't been determined yet. I want to try and make sure that worlds that may seem similar aren't next to each other, and there are a few worlds that need to be placed in certain points because of the 'getting home' part of the plot, etc. I am currently very stuck in what exactly to do with the next chapter and I'm open to suggestions of what people would find amusing to see in One Piece. I have a general theme and island in mind already, and it'll be with the crew of seven (because fun as I think it'd be to introduce Shinichi to a living skeleton I don't want to deal with that many characters), but yeah, I'm hunting for inspiration. Well, thanks for reading! ^_^


	5. Sailing with Pirates

A.N: This one took a while to write, but here it is! It was hard capturing the feeling of One Piece since it's such a visual show and I think it came out a lot darker than it should be feeling-wise, but at least I tried. ^^U

Disclaimer: I don't own DCMK or One Piece.

**Notes**:

One Piece Timeline: This should be situated somewhere between the Alabasta and Sky Island arcs.

* * *

5: Sailing with Pirates

(World 5: One Piece)

They were falling. Above them the sky stretched away in all directions, the clouds so close their damp fingers trailed softly over the two travelers' faces, and below them a deep, blue ocean spread towards the horizons. One glance down told Kaito that drastic measures were in order. Hitting the water after falling from this height could very well kill them both. Luckily, he was still dressed in full KID regalia. Score one for self-indulgence!

Reaching out quickly, he grabbed Shinichi's arm and yanked the detective to him.

"Hang on!" he shouted over the roar of the wind as he activated his glider before hooking one arm under his companion's shoulders and the other under his knees. Steering was harder with his hands occupied, but he wasn't about to chance losing a hold of Shinichi. Not even someone as good at surviving as the detective generally was could swim away after being dashed against the water at speeds that would likely make said water feel as solid as —if not more than—concrete.

The detective must have heard him—that or he was just reacting to the precariousness of their situation—since he wrapped his arms around Kaito's neck and hung on, keeping his head down in an attempt to keep from interfering with the thief's steering.

"Is the glider going to hold?"

"It had better," Kaito informed him with a lopsided grin, "because I absolutely _refuse_ to be buried at sea. Let me know if you see an island or anything else we can land on."

Shinichi nodded and let his gaze fall to the water far, far below them (though it wasn't quite as far anymore, unfortunately). As far as he could see there was only water down there. Although…there did seem to be some kind of shadow. He thought at first it might be theirs, but they were still too high up and it was the wrong shape. It was long and sort of ovular though tapered on one end. As they drew closer it grew larger and more defined, moving along beneath them as though keeping time.

"There's something in the water."

"Is it land?"

"No. It's moving."

"Don't tell me about it."

"Okay…" Shinichi fell silent, staring hard at the shape. It was growing larger by the moment as they themselves drew closer and closer to the water's surface. Was it some kind of whale? A ridged dorsal fin broke through the water. It didn't look like any part of any kind of whale he'd ever heard about. This thought was confirmed as he caught a glimpse of massive, plated scales.

"Uh, I think it might be a really big f—"

"_Don't_ tell me about it," Kaito cut in, his own gaze fixed straight ahead.

That was when the creature made a sudden surge upward and a monstrous fish several times bigger than most ships came leaping out of the water. Its jaws gaped open, revealing roves of jagged teeth.

"Kaito! Go up! Go up!" he shouted, unable to tear his eyes away from the rapidly enlarging jaws. It was like a cavern in there! Then he remembered that they were using a glider. "Or go sideways or something—_now_!"

Kaito banked the glider and the massive fish missed swallowing them whole by mere meters. Its great body curved as it dove back into the water, sending giant, foam crested waves in every direction. As it fell its yellow eyes glared, clearly still full of determination. The wind from its passing almost knocked their glider off balance.

"It's coming back!" Shinichi warned moments before the thing was once again catapulting from the water below. Kaito swung them around again but the monstrous fish was showing no signs of giving up and they were rapidly losing altitude. Soon they wouldn't have the room to outmaneuver the beast.

"Left!" Shinichi shouted as the fish came at them again, this time endeavoring to capture them by coming in from the right instead of from below. It was gaining options as they lost theirs. This time the spray from its landing splashed over their faces and he could taste the bitter, salty tang of the ocean. Somehow that just made everything ten times worse because it suddenly felt that much more real.

The glider wobbled violently and Shinichi let out a yelp as he was nearly dislodged from his precarious position and sent seaward (a.k.a. fish-ward). "Kaito!"

"I got water in my eyes!" the magician cursed, said eyes screwed shut. The salt water burned. His right eye got off slightly better, shielded as it was by his monocle, but the glass was now speckled with water drops and some of the spray had slid past it.

And the monster was coming up again, this time so close and so quickly that Shinichi knew there was no way they could possibly get out of its way fast enough. He wasn't sure if he screamed or not, though he rather thought he'd be justified if he had. After all, he was about to be _eaten_ _by a fish_. His own eyes shut on reflex, not wanting to partake in the front row view he was going to have going down the fish's throat, and he found himself kind of wishing they hadn't left that last world after all. It had been a nice, peaceful world all considered and they'd been doing fairly well for themselves now that he thought about it. On the other hand it was too late now to be thinking things like that.

That was odd. He was pretty sure there had been more than enough time by now for the fish to have swallowed them whole and maybe gone for desert on top of that. But the glider was still wobbling uncontrollably and Kaito was hissing something about always having known the sea was an awful place but never having realized it could be this bad. They weren't being chewed on and the air still smelled fresh and salty (which he was pretty sure it wouldn't if they were inside the fish).

And there was more in his ears than the roar of the sea. Shouts were ringing in the air, growing closer every second, and it suddenly felt like they were barreling head first into a crowd.

He braced himself a split second before they crashed. Whatever they had hit was rough like canvas and gave a bit under their weight before repelling them and sending them tumbling out of the air. Kaito lost his grip but neither of them fell far before they landed in a tangled heap on what felt like wooden boards. Shinichi groaned and cracked open his eyes to find his field of vision entirely occupied by wooden planks and a splash of white that was probably Kaito's cape (the glider must have been disengaged). Sparks were still dancing in his eyes from the collision with said unyielding wood, but at least it didn't have any scales or big, sharp teeth. That was very important.

And he had to be losing his mind if that was what he was thinking about right now.

"I haven't had a landing that bad since—well, since never," Kaito complained. Sitting up, he pulled a blue handkerchief from thin air, using it to get the worst of the water from his eyes and clean off his monocle before putting it back on.

"Can you get off of me now?" Shinichi grumbled.

"Oops, didn't notice you down there."

"Ha ha, very funny."

"I do love to entertain."

Shinichi levered himself into a sitting position and gingerly touched the side of his head where it had connected with the planks. It stung a bit but other than that it seemed okay.

"Uh, Tantei-kun, we have company."

Shinichi turned at that to see that, as he had suspected, they were sitting on the deck of a ship. They were also currently the center of attention of a rather mismatched looking group of people. Well, to be more accurate, they were the center of attention of four out of the six people on deck. Of the two remaining, one was asleep and the other was jumping up and down by the railing with his face to the sea, excitedly yelling something about dinner. That was…odd, but Shinichi filed it away for the moment as unimportant. Of the four who were watching them, two were women, one was a skinny man with a rather long nose who was shaking as he hid behind the taller of the females, and the last was—a small, furry, brown _creature_ in a red hat. What the…

"Oh look, they finally noticed us," the shorter, redheaded girl said sarcastically, her eyes narrowing as she glared at them. "Do you make a habit of crashing into other people's ships?"

"You have our deepest apologies." Kaito, who had already gotten to his feet, swept the girl an elegant bow and offered her a rose (at which point the furry creature gasped in round-eyed awe). "We did not mean to intrude. However we seem to have lost our way."

She eyed the flower skeptically, making no move to take it. "Really? Where's your ship? Or are you going to say you flew all the way here?"

The magician snapped his fingers, making the rose vanish in a shower of multicolored confetti that was instantly caught and whipped away by the sea wind in a spectacular display. This time he got at least a look of surprise from all of their spectators and his own grin widened. "You may choose not to believe us, but I assure you that that is the case."

"How did you do that?" The long-nosed man had stopped shaking as he stared in wonder after the disappearing flurry of color.

"Simple," Kaito replied, tipping his hat to them as his eyes gleamed. "I am a magician."

"A magician!" the furry creature exclaimed (making Shinichi start. It could _speak_! Although he wasn't quite as surprised as he thought he maybe should have been…). "Wow!"

The redhead folded her arms, though she looked slightly less angry than she had before. "That doesn't change the fact that you're trespassing on our ship."

"We would be glad to remove ourselves at whatever port you care to leave us," Kaito assured her. "However, as you can see, we can't really go anywhere on our own at this point."

She studied him for a long moment before her gaze shifted to Shinichi and back to Kaito again. Then she broke out into a smile. "All right, but that'll be seven hundred Berries per person per night. But we'll provide food," she added in the manner of someone being very generous.

The travelers traded looks before Shinichi cleared his throat. "We don't have any…berries."

The girl's face darkened instantly and she turned away with her arms crossed. "Too bad then. Guess you'll have to go."

"We can hardly throw them overboard," the dark haired woman spoke up for the first time, smiling faintly as though at some private joke. "Why don't we ask the captain?"

"Fine," the redhead grumbled before turning towards the lanky figure still bouncing up and down by the railing. "Oi! Luffy! Stop drooling over the fish and come deal with these guys! Hey, are you even listening? LUFFY!"

"Oh yeah, I should tell Sanji!" the boy in question exclaimed suddenly. Spinning around, he reached out towards the door that led inside the ship, his arm elongating and extending all the way across the deck to grip the doorframe. "Make sure it doesn't get washed away!" he called as he rocketed across the deck and right through the door. There was a crash from inside and an angry yell, but at that point Shinichi wasn't really listening anymore.

"Did I just see that?" The question emerged rather shakily and with a distinct plea in it for Kaito to tell him he was hallucinating. Which, if Shinichi had been in the state of mind to think about it, was a rather strange thing to be wishing, but at the moment hallucinating sounded like a wonderful alternative to—to a reality like _this_.

"I'm sorry," Kaito replied, sounding honestly apologetic. "But I saw it too."

And the worst part was no one seemed to think anything out of the ordinary had just happened.

Shinichi closed his eyes and drew in a deep breath.

_This is a nightmare._

X

It turned out it was fairly easy to get the ship's energetic captain to agree to let them stay. He was far more interested in the monstrous fish now secured via very long ropes to the side of his ship than the two new strangers occupying it. Shinichi had the feeling he might not even have noticed them for a while yet if the blond man, Sanji, he'd hauled out onto deck to see the fish hadn't asked who they were. At that point he'd turned, blinked at them—and asked them who they were and what they were doing on his ship in a slightly puzzled but rather unconcerned manner.

A round of introductions had followed. When Kaito swept off his hat upon giving his own name (an odd sight to Shinichi, all considered there was no way KID would ever have doffed his hat back home even on his most extravagant days), a dove flew out and darted out across the waves. The glint of blue told the detective it was Aome and he hoped she would find their jewel soon this time around, but the rest of the ship's occupants were far more interested in the 'magic' than the bird. A heartbeat after the dove's departure, Kaito found himself bereft of a hat as Luffy, the fuzzy creature, and the man with the long nose peered into it.

The magician's smile twitched. He snapped his fingers and the hat disappeared from the hands of the three to reappear in his hands.

Luffy beamed. "That's so cool! Do it again!"

Ever the showman, Kaito was happy to oblige, and soon there was a full out show flashing and popping on deck. And that seemed to be the end of the discussion about whether or not the two travelers could stay.

X

"They don't even have coffee…" Shinichi groaned to the empty air, face buried in his arms in a vain attempt to fend off the world. Just on this tiny ship alone he'd seen some of the most bizarre things he'd never imagined he'd see. About fifteen minutes ago he'd seen a human arm pop out of solid wood to take a flower from Kaito when the magician had offered it to the dark-haired woman—Robin the archeologist, if he remembered correctly—as part of his latest show. The magician had done a double take but years of Poker Face training prevented any more extreme reactions. Shinichi on the other hand couldn't stop himself from staring at the arm that had sprouted out of the wood. It had clearly been Robin's arm—forget that he could see both of hers, one folded under the elbow of the other which held a fruit drink to her quietly smiling mouth. As if sensing his gaze, the new arm waved at him. He jerked his head around and fixed his eyes on the rolling waves.

This whole _world_ was mad! That was the only explanation.

They had monster fish that could eat whole whales for lunch, fuzzy animal people who could talk, and _rubber men_ (which explained the one called Luffy's stretchy arm while raising a lot more questions than it gave answers for)—but did they have the courtesy to have coffee? Nope. Well, to be fair, they apparently just didn't stock it on this ship (this _pirate ship_, he was still trying to get his mind around that one since this lot seemed fairly friendly despite their weird ways) but still… Life was so _unfair_. As it was he'd been reduced to sitting by the ship's railing, looking off into the distant sky in the hopes that he'd see Aome returning with good news.

He just hoped the news didn't turn out to be that their translocater had ended up at the bottom of the sea. He was sure he'd go insane if they ended up stuck in this crazy world of all places. All considered it had only been two days and he already felt like his brain was melting from a combination of shock and boredom. Funny that. He wouldn't have thought the two could coexist so well. He was even starting to attract funny looks from Chopper (the fuzzy creature, who was apparently supposed to be some kind of reindeer despite a tendency to walk on two legs and also a highly trained doctor) but he waved away its—_his_—concern. He knew he wasn't sick. He just wished he was (in a manner of speaking anyway, the last thing they needed now was to actually be ill).

On the bright side, rubber man, fuzzy speaking animal, and woman with duplicating disembodied limbs aside, the rest of the crew seemed normal enough (by comparison). The redhead who'd wanted to charge them for room and board was the ship's navigator, Nami, and the man who'd slept through their arrival was the resident swordsman, Zoro. Then there was Usopp, the man with the long nose, who seemed to enjoy telling wild stories. Though admittedly Shinichi wasn't sure if he could call the stories wild outright considering present company. For all he knew, the man could be telling the truth. Last of all there was the blond cook, Sanji, who was apparently extremely proud of his mastery of his craft. Kaito had refused to eat anything that contained fish. The blonde had taken his declaration as some kind of challenge to see what he could make that didn't contain the aforementioned sea creature (the challenge lying, of course, in the fact that fish was something of a primary food source out here on the open sea). Shinichi wondered sometimes what Kaito would have done if the cook had chosen instead to cook fish and only fish for the duration of their stay, but knowing the magician he would have found a way around it somehow.

That was the funny thing about Kaito, he mused. He seemed to have an answer for everything. It took him barely an hour after they'd officially been admitted to the ship for him to be talking and laughing with everyone like they were old friends. Maybe it was a side effect of being a thief who had to be able to move seamlessly through any situation he found himself in. Or maybe it was just the way he was. Sometimes it seemed the more he got to know Kaito the more he began to think it was the latter.

"Hey, what are you looking at?"

Shinichi jumped as the curious voice piped up right beside him. He turned quickly to find Luffy standing next to him, leaning out over the railing, one hand shielding his eyes beneath the brim of his straw hat as he peered out at the gently undulating waves.

"I don't see anything," the ship's captain continued, sounding honestly puzzled by this.

"I wasn't looking at anything," Shinichi explained. "I was thinking."

"Oh. Are you sure? Because you were staring really hard."

"Yes, I'm sure."

"All right then." A moment of silence. "So what were you thinking about?"

"Well…everything, I guess. The places we've been, the things we've seen, whether we'll ever get home." He stopped abruptly. He hadn't meant to say that out loud, even if it was true. Of course he knew the possibility was there, but voicing the thought made it that much more tangible. Like saying it might cause it to come true. It was a ridiculous thing to be feeling but he couldn't seem to help it at times.

"You will," Luffy said amiably.

Shinichi blinked at him then shook his head, bemused. It sounded so matter of fact coming from the pirate captain that it sounded true.

"Hey, so if you aren't actually doing anything, could you do that thing with the ball again? It was funny."

Shinichi blinked at him, wondering what he was talking about before he remembered that he'd spent some time the previous evening bouncing around the soccer ball that had apparently been part of Kaito's last minute additions to their supplies (only to put it away when a sudden wave nearly caused him to lose it overboard), but he had no idea what was funny about that. Then again, many of these people seemed easily amused. Of course, if you had to spend days on end sailing it was probably better to be easily amused.

"Maybe later."

As Luffy wandered off to find something else to do, Shinichi turned and sat down with his back to one of the railing supports so he wouldn't slide out into the water. The sound of the sea filled his ears. There was something calming about the sound. It was familiar and rhythmic and when he closed his eyes he could almost imagine being back at home.

A short distance away Kaito excused himself from his audience for the time being with one final bow and glanced around to see Shinichi sitting against the ship's railing. The detective had taken up residence at the spot that morning and had yet to leave it. He wondered idly if it was an attempt by the detective to distance himself from the strangeness of this place.

He debated with himself for a moment before wandering over to lean against the rails beside the detective. Considering the kinds of things that lived in these waters, he would much rather keep his distance (ha! Like that was possible with their current vehicle of transport), but the detective had been looking so put upon that he felt he should probably go say something. Although he had to admit there probably wasn't anything anyone could say that would help all that much. Even _he_ was finding this world…a little hard to wrap his mind around. Though, personally, he found it more interesting than disturbing.

Arriving by Shinichi, he called out a greeting. When he got no response, he crouched down and peered into the detective's face. Shinichi had his eyes closed and his breathing was slow and even.

Kaito laughed quietly to himself. "I guess that's one way to get away."

The napping detective gave no response.

Kaito stood to leave but paused when he noticed that Shinichi seemed to be shivering. Well, the wind was starting to feel a bit chilly. Producing one of the cold weather cloaks from the wizards' box, he draped it over the detective like a blanket.

"Sweet dreams, Tantei-kun."

X

It was the cold that woke him. He shivered as he opened his eyes to find himself sitting against the railings on deck. There was no one else anywhere to be seen and the air was oddly quiet but for the gentle lapping of the sea against the sides of the ship. Even Zoro, the man who had spent most of the time he and Kaito had been onboard sleeping, was gone. Confused, he stood and noticed the heavy cloak pooled in dark folds around his feet. It had slid off him when he moved and he recognized it as one of the ones the wizards had given them. Kaito must have put it on him while he was sleeping (he made a mental note to thank the magician later). Picking it up, he draped it across his shoulders and fastened the clasp. It couldn't quite manage to completely stave off the cold, but it was definitely better suited to the weather than the rest of his clothes. That done, he scanned the deck again then the surrounding sea for any signs of Kaito or the crew.

Though he still couldn't see any signs of life, he noted that the sails were no longer open. A glance over the railing revealed snowy banks. An island?

A closer examination of the bank where it ran alongside the ship revealed a swath of trampled snow. So it seemed several people must have left the ship while he was sleeping. He bit his lower lip, wondering if he should try to follow them. The trail was fairly clear here, but if there were more people or less snow farther into the island any trail could quickly disappear. There also didn't seem to be any way down other than to jump. It wasn't a short fall, even with the cushion of the snow. While he wouldn't have thought twice about making such a leap if there was an urgent purpose (say, to catch a potential killer before they could become a full fledged murderer), that was not the case now. And he'd just given himself several minutes to contemplate just how long the fall would be. Great. It wasn't like he wanted to sit around and do nothing either.

And why hadn't they woken him up when they left anyway?

"If you're looking for your friend, he left with Luffy and the others to explore the island," a woman's voice spoke up from behind him, making him jump. Turning hurriedly, he found Robin standing near the door that led inside the ship. She was wearing the enigmatic smile that always seemed to adorn her face. In his mind disembodied arms waved. He stuffed the image hurriedly into a small, dark corner of his mind from which, hopefully, it would never surface again.

"Should we go after them?" he asked instead.

She shrugged. "You can if you want. Chopper and I have been assigned to guard the ship."

"Oh." He cast another glance at the distant bank. A sigh escaped his lips, misting before his face before it was tugged away by the wind. "Is there anything I can do?"

The woman shrugged. "No, not really."

Shinichi opened his mouth to respond only to stop as Robin's head jerked around, her eyes narrowing. As though triggered by her change in posture, the air filled with shouts and suddenly they were no longer alone.

There were fifty—maybe even sixty—of them. They swarmed up and over the railings onto the ship as though the climb was nothing. They were massive, the smallest being at least four heads taller than Shinichi, and they resembled nothing so much as they did rats. Enormous, hairy, two-legged rats with helmets, short coats, and weapons. Lots of weapons.

Robin's gaze focused on the invaders and she raised her arms, holding them crossed before her even as the first wave of rats charged her. The next instant human arms were popping up like daisies all over the place, wreaking havoc amongst the rat ranks. It was one of the most grotesque things Shinichi had ever seen and he couldn't seem to tear his eyes away as he stood frozen where he was. He knew they were being attacked (_why_ were they being attacked?) and the profusion of weapons being brandished at them was anything but benevolent, but at the same time seeing the oddly twisted necks and limbs snapping like they were twigs… Bodies falling just like that _everywhere_ like leaves from a tree on a windy autumn day… If he hadn't been too busy feeling horrified he would have been emptying his stomach over the side of the ship.

So this was a battle, some more coherent part of his mind noted. This was one piece of knowledge he could have done without. It was like—like the value of life was being rewritten before his very eyes. And it was saying that there were times when life really wasn't worth very much.

He was almost grateful when a flash of motion forcibly dragged his attention away from Robin's assault on her assailants just in time to see a cutlass swinging towards his face. He ducked instinctively and the blade sliced through the air mere millimeters above his head. Spinning, he delivered a kick straight into the cutlass wielder's solar plexus. There was a loud squeal as the rat-man staggered back, dropping his blade. Shinichi dove for the cutlass and threw it over the railing before the rat could make a grab for it.

Pity there were about another thirty rats with assorted weapons of their own waiting in the wings.

And the one he'd kicked was recovering quickly and not looking happy at all. It bared its teeth at him—and produced another cutlass.

With a snarl, it leaped forward, swinging its backup blade in a powerful, downward arc. The detective twisted out of the way and watched in horror as the blade sank into the wooden planks of the ship almost all the way to the hilt. On the bright side, the few seconds it took for the creature to yank its blade free of the wood gave Shinichi the time to deploy a soccer ball.

The black and white missile spun past the cursing rat to smash into the face of one of its rapidly approaching companions. This rat let out a muffled cry as it fell back, but now the first rat's sword was free and swinging again. Shinichi ducked again and made to dart past the creature, mentally calculating the distance and how to unbalance the rat enough to trip it over the side of the ship, but something caught his ankle and he let out a yelp as he went sprawling across the deck. Wide, blue eyes caught a glimpse of the rat's tail wrapped around his ankle just before a massive, furry paw landed on his back, squashing all the air right out of his lungs.

Spots danced across his vision, but even through them he could see that Robin too had run into trouble.

The largest of all the rats he'd seen so far had come up behind her, tossing several loops of what looked like an extremely long rope of blue beads over her. She let out a gasp of surprise as the beads looped around her neck and fell about her in loose strands. The instant the bluish beads touched her skin all the various disembodied hands that had sprouted vanished. Her own hands rose in an attempt to remove the beads, but the large rat with the glossy, black coat and torn ear who'd thrown it grabbed several of the beaded loops from behind her and twisted them together so that the archeologist was now effectively bound by them. The commotion died down quickly after that as all eyes focused in on the pair of them.

"The king will want to see this one," the rat with the thick, black fur remarked as Robin let out a hiss of pain and sank to her knees, the long string of beads twined about her person almost seeming to glow a faint blue in the sunlight. Satisfied that the woman who'd taken out nearly half the attacking force was no longer a threat, the rat glanced towards the group that had gathered around Shinichi. "What have you got there?"

The rat who had its massive, hairy foot-paw planted on Shinichi's back took said foot-paw off. The detective gasped as the pressure let up and he could finally breathe properly again. The stars that had been dancing across his field of vision began to dissipate, but before he could do anything more than take a few gasping breaths he was being yanked to his feet. Paw-like hands twisted his arms behind his back as two more of the rat creatures leaned down to peer at him.

It felt like being on the other end of a microscope. Was he, maybe, just as strange to them as they were to him?

And why was he wondering about _that_ at a time like this?

He was being poked, prodded, and scrutinized by a pack of rat-men like some animal being examined for its readiness for the slaughterhouse. He froze at that thought. Could these creatures maybe eat people? It wouldn't even be cannibalism since they weren't human. Uncomfortable as the situation already was, that thought made it ten times worse.

"I think it's human," the rat on the left declared, turning back to the black one who was apparently their leader. Before he could say more however there was the sound of hooves pounding across wooden planks. Several heads turned and rats yelled out in surprise as something brown with branched horns went leaping over the side of the ship to land on the snow covered bank beyond where it proceeded to gallop up towards the line of snow covered trees.

Several of the rats made to follow it, but their leader stopped them.

"Let it go," he commanded. "It's just a reindeer. We'll take these two back to see the king."

X

Click.

Flash.

Click.

Flash.

"What are you doing?" Usopp asked finally, unable to restrain his curiosity any longer.

Kaito lowered his camera and turned to grin at the long-nosed marksman. "Taking pictures for future reference. My friend and I are compiling a record of our travels. I thought I might as well get a few shots while we're here."

"So that thing makes pictures?" Usopp peered with interest at the sleek little camera. "Where'd you get it?"

"Bought it at our last stop."

"Huh… Can I take a closer look at it?"

Kaito considered the request for a moment before handing the camera over with a shrug. "Just don't break it."

"I won't," Usopp promised before turning his attention entirely onto the little machine in his hands.

The magician observed his interest with some amusement. The man may have a tendency to jump at shadows, but he apparently had a great sense of curiosity when it came to new and interesting inventions. He could definitely understand that kind of curiosity.

"Man, what's up with this place?" Luffy's voice drifted back to them as he stopped in the middle of the street they were currently wandering along. One hand over his eyes, he turned this way and that in faster and faster bursts of motion. "All the restaurants are closed!"

"It's not just the restaurants," Zoro added. "It's all the shops."

Letting out her breath in an irritated huff, Nami scowled at the nearest darkened store front as though it had mortally offended her. "How are we supposed to get supplies now?"

"Does anyone even live here?" Luffy wondered. At that all eyes turned speculatively to the surrounding buildings.

Kaito's first impression of the city when the six of them had seen it was that it looked an awful lot like a Christmas card. Most of the houses resembled cozy little cottages all neatly lined up and covered in snow like icing coated cookies. Even the bigger, more elaborate buildings had been painted with bright colors so that they looked like supersized toys. But it didn't take him long to revise his opinion. The city looked like a Christmas card—Halloween ghost town style.

There was no one anywhere in sight. All the windows were dark. No smoke rose from the chimneys despite the cold. No footprints blemished the pristine, white snow. He couldn't even hear anything other than the crunch of the crew's footsteps and the ring of their own voices which sounded all too lonely in the stillness of everything else.

And yet it was too clean to be an abandoned city. Every window sparkled with well polished glass and what could be seen of the plants that still grew around each building was neatly trimmed.

"Y—you d—don't think this p—place is haunted, do you?" Usopp asked in a quavering voice.

Nami rolled her eyes, though her shoulders were tense with her own unease. "Don't be ridiculous. Besides, this place looks far too cheerful to be a ghost town."

"Psst."

"Did you guys hear something?" Sanji asked, glancing around.

"Hear what?" Luffy asked.

"Psst."

"There it is again!"

"I heard it too," Nami agreed.

"Pssssssssst!"

Kaito cleared his throat to get their attention then pointed towards the corner of a pink and green building. "It's coming from that old man over there."

And indeed there was an old man peeking around the corner at them. He was wearing a green hat that matched the green on the building he stood beside and most of his body was hidden by a snow drift so that even the magician's practiced eyes had a hard time picking him out. Once he saw them looking at him however he grinned, revealing several missing teeth, and waved.

"I think he wants us to follow him," Kaito added when none of his companions made a move. His own curiosity was growing very sharp teeth by this point, but he knew when it was better to be cautious (he'd have been in jail or dead long ago if he didn't). And this world had 'Caution, danger around all corners!' written all over it in neon letters.

"I…guess we should go see what he wants," Nami said finally, glancing towards Luffy—only to find that their captain was gone.

"Hey old man!" the missing pirate's voice could be heard a moment later. "Is this place haunted?"

X

Even with the cloak Shinichi was shivering violently by the time the rats finally reached their destination. The snow had soaked through his shoes and socks as well as the lower half of his pant legs and he couldn't feel the tips of his fingers or toes anymore. On the bright side the craggy castle that the rats had ushered him and Robin into was much warmer. The two of them were marched down several long corridors before a pair of heavily armored guards opened towering double doors beyond which lay what could only be called a throne room. As they entered a rat even bigger than the leader of the group who had attacked the ship rose from its throne and stepped forward to greet them.

"Another ship has landed on the island," the black rat reported, bowing deeply to what had to be the king. "We found these two on board."

"I see." The rat king eyed Shinichi speculatively and he silently prayed that he looked unappetizing. Finally, the creature turned away from him and back to the head guard. "I suppose the last exhibit is getting old. But don't tell me all you found was a pair of plain old _humans_."

"Of course not," the guard rat declared, gesturing to Robin. "This one's a Devil Fruit user. She wiped out half my squad," he added, spitting on the ground.

Now the king looked interested. "I see. Better keep the Sea Prism beads on then. The new Globe should suffice. It is ready, correct?"

"Yes, your Majesty. Shall I take them to the Globe Hall then?"

The king cast another look over the two prisoners before nodding. "I will leave this matter in your paws then. You are dismissed."

All the guards saluted and the rats holding Robin and Shinichi hauled them to their feet and marched them out of the hall again.

"Are you all right?" Shinichi whispered to Robin as they were herded down a series of long, stone halls. The pale, flickering light from the torches spaced along the walls were doing little to hide the pallor of the woman's complexion and she was breathing hard.

Her gaze flickered to meet his and her lips twitched into a wry smile. "As much as can be expected," she replied, her own voice equally low. "Sea Prism stones don't sit well with Devil Fruit users like me."

"Be quiet!" the guard behind Shinichi snapped, prodding him sharply in the back. "Prisoners shouldn't speak unless they're spoken to."

Another handful of twisting halls later, the rat in the lead opened a door with gold inlaid patterns and directed the party through it onto a flight of winding steps.

It was one of the strangest places Shinichi had ever seen. If not for the circumstances, he might even have been inclined to say that it was beautiful. As it was, he couldn't deny that there was a certain grandeur about the place as he and Robin were marched down the seemingly endless spiraling steps. The Globe Hall was a massive, underground chamber so vast that he couldn't see the walls and the ceiling from which they were descending was rapidly becoming little more than a memory. What really took Shinichi's breath away however was the veritable ocean of glowing spheres that dotted the cavern floor. They grew larger and larger as they and their guards drew nearer and nearer to the floor until he could see that each light was a massive, glass sphere at least two hundred yards in diameter set upon raised, marble pedestals. They looked like snow globes, he realized. They even had bronze plaques on their pedestals covered in writing he couldn't read but which he was sure were labels of some kind. The orbs themselves each contained something different. Here a small, wooden hut stood beside a lush, green conifer. There a miniature castle stood upon rainbow colored pebbles, surrounded by a school of glittering, silver fish. It was like looking down onto hundreds of windows, each opening into a different time and place.

It was towards a globe containing a small grove of pine trees that the rats dragged Shinichi. His hands were untied, much to his surprise, before someone shoved him hard from behind. He staggered forward, tripped over the marble pedestal, and fell head first into the glass globe on top. But instead of giving himself a nasty bump on the head he found himself sliding right through the glass. It felt like falling through a lake, only instead of sinking deeper into the water there was air on the other side of the surface. So instead of a face full of glass he got a face full of snow, which was marginally better but didn't help at all in regards to the cold.

Scrambling to his hands and knees, he spun around to find that the rat guards were already marching away, Robin in tow. He couldn't hear anything through the glass but he watched until they disappeared from sight, memorizing which globes they passed by so that he would know which way to go to look for the archeologist later.

The crunch of a footstep on snow drew his attention back to his immediate surroundings. Scanning the shadows beneath the trees, he caught a glimpse of movement. A figure emerged slowly from between the trunks.

The—person? Creature?—whatever it was took a hesitant step closer and Shinichi scooted away, his back pressing hard against the curved wall of glass he'd slid through only moments earlier. The thing advancing towards him moved oddly, its limbs stiff as though each had been encased in some inflexible substance, leaving only the barest of openings for joints to operate. Maybe it was some kind of machine? If it was, then it must have a purpose, but what?

As it drew closer he could make out a humanoid appearance, but instead of skin the thing seemed to be covered in something hard and smooth that gleamed faintly where the light touched it. Really it looked kind of like polished wood. A wooden man dressed in rather worn clothes in fact, with polished, mahogany eyes and a head full of brown, yarn hair.

It came to a stop a few steps away from him and they stared at each other for several seconds. Or at least he stared at it. Those eyes didn't look like they contained lenses, though it was possible that the thing had a camera hidden somewhere else on it. And yet…he couldn't help but feel as though it was looking back at him. It made no more indications of coming any closer however. He was just beginning to relax when it suddenly opened its mouth and spoke.

"You are…human?" it asked, curiosity evident in its voice.

Shinichi blinked, nonplused. "Uh…yeah…?" So was this some kind of robot designed to act as a communications device? Or maybe an information gatherer?

"Ah. So you are not from this island."

"No," he agreed, watching as the wooden man tilted its head to the side in a thoughtful manner. For a robot, it sure acted—_alive_. "Um, I don't suppose you could tell me how I can get out of here?"

Now the robot shook its head, every inch the sorrowful soul. "Once you're inside a Snow Globe you can't leave unless the king uses his scepter to open the way for you. I'm sorry," it added regretfully. "But it's not all bad. It's mostly peaceful in here. It might seem a little restrictive at first, but you get used to it."

_But I don't _want_ to get used to it_, Shinichi thought, frowning (at least it didn't sound like he was going to be eaten). "So this is…like a sort of prison, right?"

"A collection, actually," the wooden man corrected. "The king's collection. But enough of that. It's not all that important anyway. If you'll come this way, my wife and I were just about to have lunch. You can join us if you're hungry."

Shinichi wanted to object. The topic was very important, in his humble opinion, but the wooden man's last comment caught him off guard. "Your…wife?"

The wooden man chuckled, turning to head back into the grove. "Yes. I'm sure I would have gone mad years ago if I was alone in here."

X

The old man's lair was a rather rickety little house way on the outskirts of the city. It faced towards the forest and looked rather lonely so far away from any other buildings. He pushed open the creaking door and waved them inside, having refused to answer any questions until ithey were 'out of the open' (well, any questions other than Luffy's first, which he vehemently objected to). The inside was a mess consisting mostly of books and piles of what looked like theater costumes.

"Sewing helps me think," he explained when he saw them poking through said piles of colorful cloth. "But I don't have much use for them so if you see anything you like, feel free to take it."

"That's generous of you," Kaito remarked, picking up a rather fancy looking coat. His trained eye could see that it was very well made and the material was of very high quality. "You're quite the tailor."

"Thank you," the old man replied with a beaming smile but the smile vanished abruptly and he drew himself up with a huff. "I am not a tailor! I am a wizard," he declared, puffing out his chest. "Drossy the Wizard," he added, eyeing them significantly.

Blank stares looked back at him.

He deflated. "You…haven't heard of me?"

Clueless glances bounced around the room.

Luffy shook his head. "Nope."

"Nothing," Sanji agreed.

"Not so much as a hint," Usopp added.

"Oh…well, uh, I…guess you're not from around here then," he concluded, tone growing more hopeful by the end as he nodded to himself. "That's right. Anyway, I am the wizard who rules this city!"

"Really?" Nami glanced pointedly around the cluttered little one-room hut. "Is this supposed to be your palace then?"

Drossy glared at her for a moment before a defeated sigh escaped his lips, taking with it what remained of his self assurance as he shrank in upon himself. "It's true. I'm an outcast! But I want you all to remember that this was a great city once—even if you can't see it for yourselves I just wanted you all to know that."

"You dragged us all the way here just to tell us that?" Sanji asked incredulously.

"And so what if I did?" the old man snapped. "I couldn't well let you go without a word after hearing you call it a ghost town. I once ruled this city, oh yes I did. There wasn't a soul on this island that didn't know my name! Forgive me if I don't want some strangers breezing through then going on to tell everyone else out there that my city is a ghost town."

"But you can't deny there's no one here," Usopp pointed out.

The self proclaimed wizard heaved a heavy sigh. "It started about twenty years ago when a strange plague broke out in my wondrous city. People began to lose their strength until they could do nothing but lie in bed all day. Eventually they would lose even the strength to eat and then they would die of starvation. We tried and tried but we couldn't find a cure. But then I discovered a spell in one of my books that I felt had a lot of promise." He let out a wistful sigh as his gaze grew distant. "I worked day and night for three whole months. By the time I was done I was sure I could sleep for a year and boy did I smell like my old granddad's stables on a bad day, but it was ready and I was so proud of it. It was my greatest work! Not only was it going to save my people, it was a true work of art. Beautiful in every way! Perfect beyond—"

"Get on with it already!" several voices chorused in exasperated rage.

Drossy huffed but relented. "Well, long story short, I used my magnificent creation to cast a spell over the people of the city. It was to render all their bodies immune to the plague. And it succeeded—but it had a few…side effects. And they threw me out."

There was a beat of silence before Sanji snorted. "That didn't explain anything."

"Yeah, like why there aren't even any restaurants open," Luffy said. "Doesn't anyone around here eat?"

"Yeah," Usopp agreed. "I mean, it's like a ghost town out there."

"Ah…well, you see…that side effect I mentioned…" The wizard paused, glanced around at their expectant faces, and lowered his eyes. "I guess the trouble really started because there's another city on this island—Natopolis, home of the rat folk. Their king is something of a collector. He collects everything he thinks is unusual or that he simply doesn't have."

Nami sighed. "Let me guess, he took your wonderful masterpiece invention thing?"

"No—well, yes, actually, he took that too, but that's not the point! You see, the thing about my beautiful creation was that in addition to making people immune to the plague it, uh…changed everyone its power was cast on. They became…well, they were no longer creatures of flesh and blood."

"No longer flesh and blood?" Kaito repeated, speaking up for the first time since the old man had begun his tale. "Are your people no longer human then?"

"In their hearts they are," the man said quickly, not meeting any of their eyes. "But in body…they are like dolls now. Wooden dolls without strings. They cannot age, cannot change…they don't get sick, but they can't eat or drink or feel the world the way we do anymore either for all that they try to keep the pretense that they can…" He trailed off, now huddled so close to the ground as to resemble nothing so much as a pile of old rags topped by a scraggly white mop. "I—I wasn't affected because I was the one who cast the spell. I've been trying to find a way to undo it, but since the rat folk stole my creation I haven't made any headway in years. In the mean time the King of Natopolis keeps taking them away. He's a collector, you see, and, well, he knows you don't find enchanted people under every rock."

There was a long moment of silence as he finished his story. Kaito could almost see the others picturing what the old man's words implied. Even in his own head it painted a rather depressing picture (and he was a natural optimist).

"Does that mean you can fix it if you got your spell thingy back?" Luffy asked, head tilting slightly to the side.

"I believe so," the wizard replied. "But there's not much point agonizing over it. There's no way the rats would ever give it back to me. I'll just have to keep trying to find a cure without it."

"We'll get it back for you," the rubber man announced cheerfully, face splitting into an enthusiastic grin. "So what's it look like?"

Drossy blinked at him in shock. "B—but the rat king keeps it in his scepter! He has hordes of guards and—"

"You want it back, don't you?"

"Well, yes, but—"

"So we'll go get it."

"Didn't you hear a word I said?"

Zoro stood up abruptly, cutting off any further argument and drawing everyone's attention towards the door. "There's something coming."

On cue several shapes came bursting out of the forest fringe. In the lead was a reindeer with a blue nose wearing a red hat. It was galloping desperately away from four large, brown rat-men, sending sprays of snow flying skyward in his wake.

"It's Chopper!" Usopp exclaimed in horror.

"And those are some of the rat king's scavengers," Drossy the Wizard observed. "They must be hunting."

"Do something!" Nami snapped at her fellow crewmates.

"I'll handle it," Zoro muttered, stepping out into the snow as he loosened his three swords in their scabbards. He crouched, eyes focused on the oncoming reindeer and the pursuing rats, then he charged. Steel flashed and squealing shrieks filled the air. Moments later the rats keeled over in the snow in massive, furry heaps. Zoro returned his blades to their sheaths and walked back to the hut with the casual air of someone who'd done nothing more exciting than take an evening stroll.

"You all right?" he asked, stopping beside Chopper who had his head down as he panted for breath.

"They—they attacked the ship!" the little reindeer gasped, panic edging his words like knife edges as his head jerked up so that he could stare at them with wide, wild eyes. "There were so many of them and they had this weird rope covered in Sea Prism stones and they got Robin and I knew I had to come get you guys but I didn't know where you were and I ran as fast as I could but then I ran into those other rats who said I'd make a good meal and—"

"They took Robin?" Sanji cut in as the reindeer paused for breath, his cigarette falling from his mouth. "Where?"

"I—I don't know! They said something about taking them to see the king."

Kaito frowned, sliding around Nami so he could lean down and look the reindeer in the eyes. "Is Shinichi all right?"

Chopper just shook his head, frustration evident in every line of his tense frame. "I don't know. They were both taken away and I came to get you guys and—and—"

"They'll have been taken to Natopolis' Gobe Hall," Drossy's voice announced from the doorway of the hut. "That's where all the foreigners get taken."

"Which way?" Luffy demanded, turning to the old man.

Later, as they were on their way out, a distressed cooing drew Kaito's attention to a cage that one of the rats had dropped. Stepping around said rat's unmoving form, his eyes fell upon a familiar, white form behind the thick, wire mesh of the cage.

"Aome!" he gasped, picking up the cage and quickly picking open the lock. "Are you all right?"

The Duel Monster let out a rather indignant sounding trill as she pecked the side of the cage for good measure before fluttering to his shoulder. Obviously she wasn't hurt. Kaito dropped the now empty cage beside the rat's body and headed after the others. It had been…disturbing, to say the least, watching the rats be cut down like they were nothing, though he understood that this world was one where such violence was common place (and maybe even necessary to some degree). But the idea that they had apparently been planning to eat Aome and kidnapped Shinichi killed a rather large proportion of his sympathy. It didn't help that they apparently made a habit of abducting and imprisoning other people and creatures for kicks. Those who delighted in ruining the lives of others didn't deserve sympathy.

At the same time though his own dwindling sympathy disturbed him. They really did have to get off this world quick—before he got too used to this feeling.

It was not something he wanted to take home with him.

X

Unlike Drossy's cheerful, Crhistmas card city, the home of the rat folk was a city of stone that would probably be better described as a fortress. Clustered behind a screen of trees near the castle's front gates, Kaito and the pirate crew observed several guards pacing along the battlements.

"Maybe we should look for another way in," Usopp suggested hopefully. "Like the back door or something."

Beside him, Nami sighed. "Too late for that." She pointed to where Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji were already standing in front of the closed gates.

"You! Rat people! Give me back my crew!"

"He's rather direct," Kaito commented, wondering whether the pirate captain had intended to include Shinichi when he used the term 'crew'.

Usopp groaned. "Why can't we every do it safe way?" As if to back up his claim, there was a yell and the gates splintered under a flurry of punches. The fragments hadn't even finished falling before Luffy was charging inside followed closely by Zoro and Sanji.

"We can't just stay here," Chopper cried. Visibly gathering his courage, the reindeer ran after their departed companions.

"I'll just stay here in case someone else shows up," Usopp volunteered.

"Oh no you don't." Nami grabbed his arm. "Let's go."

The courtyard was in chaos as they finally caught up to the others. There were dozens upon dozens of rat guards and every one of them was heavily armed and angry. But despite their overwhelming numbers the pirates were knocking them down left and right. This, of course, was just making them angrier. It was like some kind of demented comedy routine. A wave of rats would surround the intruders, weapons drawn, and charge, only to be defeated—at which point the next wave would come in and replace them.

"What's going on here?" a snarling roar boomed out across the courtyard, causing a temporary freeze in motion. For a few seconds the courtyard resembled a wax tableau of a battle in progress before one badly beaten rat guard tottered up to the massive, crowned new arrival. It managed a shaky salute, squeaked out the word 'intruders', and toppled over to sprawl in an undignified heap at the monstrous rat's feet. There was another beat of silence.

Then the rat king—it had to be the king, Kaito thought—raised his angry gaze to the band of intruders still surrounded by his guards. "How dare you come barging into my castle uninvited at dinnertime?"

"Give me back my crew!" Luffy shouted back. "Oh, and you can hand over the stuff you stole from the old man too," he added as an afterthought.

"_I_ am the king here!" the rat snarled. "How dare you try to give me orders while you stand in my castle! You will pay for your insolence!" As his last word echoed from the high, stone walls, he swung the scepter in his right paw over his head and leveled it at the intruders. The crystal at the scepter's top flashed and something akin to white lightning flashed forth in a crackling blast that made even the snow look dark.

With an extremely un-dove-like shriek that made everyone jump Aome launched herself from Kaito's shoulder and dove forward, intercepting the blast. White energy crashed against an invisible barrier and the air itself seemed to ripple as crackling jolts of energy swept over what could only be described as the walls of a massive bubble of space. For the briefest of moments Kaito thought he saw the bird's body flicker but then the energy dissipated leaving only Aome hovering defiantly in the air.

That seemed to be the signal for the battle to resume and suddenly the courtyard was once again a writhing mass of rats and humans alike. Keeping one eye on the fighting and the other on Aome, Kaito slipped nimbly through the chaos and through the castle's open doors which no one had bothered to shut after the king's arrival.

X

Shinichi jolted awake with a gasp and sat bolt upright. Blue eyes darted around to scan his surroundings. All his senses were tingling as though he'd been shocked, and yet he couldn't see or hear anything that might have caused it. The grove was silent but for the soft crackle of the campfire around which the wooden man and his doll wife sat reading (he'd decided after much debate and a long, long struggle over the impossibility of it that they were actually living creatures and not some kind of robot, they were just too alive, but still…they were kind of creepy). They glanced over at him at his sudden movement, their painted, mahogany eyes curious. He offered them a weak smile and they turned back to their respective books.

Clambering onto his feet, he brushed the snow off of his clothes, pulled the cloak closer around himself, and headed into the trees towards the snow globe's perimeter. His heart was still racing though he had no idea why. There was just—this _feeling_ that something was happening. Had it been a dream? But he couldn't remember dreaming at all.

And it didn't feel like the touch of a nightmare. He'd had his fair share of those, especially in these last few years, and he knew what they felt like.

Stepping out from beneath the spreading branches of the outermost line of trees, Shinichi trudged through the drifts until he'd reached the curved, glass wall. He pushed his hand against it again just to check that he was still trapped. Inability to leave once again confirmed, he turned and began to walk slowly along the wall, peering carefully out into the darkness beyond and examining each luminous globe he found in search of anything that might be the cause of his uneasy feeling.

He was on his third circuit around the perimeter when a flicker of white drew his gaze upward. There was a small, white shape circling overhead just beyond the curved, glass ceiling.

"Aome!" he gasped just as the bird dove ground-ward. Following her dive, he glanced around—and nearly did a face-plant. There, just outside the snow globe, stood Kaito, KID smirk stretched across his face in all its arrogant, shark-like glory, decked from head to toe in a long, heavily embroidered coat complete with plumed hat and eye-patch. Shinichi would have liked to be surprised, but somehow he just wasn't (not that he wasn't happy to see the magician, but really…).

Kaito grinned when he saw that Shinichi had seen him and waved.

Snow crunched as Shinichi made his way over to the wall Kaito was standing by. As he approached, the magician turned and mimed opening a door.

"There isn't one," Shinichi replied, trusting that his friend could read lips.

Kaito blinked and tilted his head to one side questioningly.

"The wall's like a one-way gate," he explained. "You can walk right through from the outside, but once you're inside you can't get out without the key."

Kaito lifted a hand to shield his eyes from an invisible sun as he spun in a slow circle.

"I was told the key is the rat king's scepter. But I don't—"

Before he could finish however, Kaito had already nodded, turned, and vanished with Aome in a puff of smoke. Shinichi stared at the empty space where they had been for a long moment, wondering if he'd imagined the whole thing.

Maybe he was finally losing his mind.

X

Kaito peered out through the open doors into the courtyard. He was greeted by the sight of downed rats everywhere. The king—well, former king, he amended—lay in the very middle of it, his crown lying in fragments around him. The fight seemed to be over.

"This thing doesn't look that special," Zoro was saying as he examined the king's scepter. The lower half of the handle had been snapped off completely.

"Who cares how it looks, that's solid gold!" Nami exclaimed, picking up the lower half of the scepter. "That old man only needs the top bit, right? I'll just hang on to this."

"What about the old man's creation?" Usopp asked, rising up from where he had apparently been hiding behind a wall of heavy crates.

"Oh yeah." Luffy brightened. "I wanna see!"

The whole group gathered around Zoro and stared at the crystal on the scepter's top. It was the only place on the scepter that might be able to be used to contain anything after all.

"There's…something inside," Sanji said a bit dubiously.

"Yeah," Chopper agreed, blinking. "It looks kind of like a peanut."

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…"

"That's the wonderful creation?" Nami said finally, voice rising in incredulity. "A crystal _peanut_?"

"Fun as all this is," Kaito interjected, stepping out into the courtyard, "there are some snow globes rather in need of that peanut scepter's attention." He snapped his fingers and Zoro blinked as the scepter disappeared from his hands to reappear in the magician's. "If you'd like to come with me, I'm sure Miss Robin is down there too." Without waiting for an answer, he turned and headed back inside. He could hear the confused muttering behind him before the voices were joined by the sound of many feet. The confused, and maybe annoyed, sounds turned to awed gasps as they stepped out onto the downward spiral of steps that led into the hall of snow globes. Coming to a halt about halfway down the stairs, Kaito turned the broken scepter over in his hands.

"Wonder how this works…" Was there a verbal command? Or did it respond to thought? It certainly had no buttons. Holding it out, he pointed it down at the sea of snow globes below and thought hard about them opening. To his surprise, the gold grew warm beneath his fingers and the crystal began to glow. Then there was an explosion of light and beams of white energy spread in a crackling net to fall down over the ocean of glass spheres. As the net touched each orb the glass simply melted away (though the globes that contained water kept their lower halves so that they resembled massive, glass bowls).

"That's awesome!" someone exclaimed from behind him and he had to laugh.

They found Shinichi sitting on the edge of the platform that had once supported his snow globe.

"Robin's that way," he said the moment he saw them, pointing down an aisle. They found the wayward archeologist engaged in a deep conversation with two creatures who looked an awful lot like gingerbread men. As the group headed out to explore and see what else they could find in the castle, Kaito fell back to walk beside the rather wet looking detective.

"You're not hurt, are you?"

"I might have a few bruises but that's about it."

"So what was it like being inside a household toy?"

Shinichi gave him an irritated look which was ruined when he sneezed. "What do you think? Where did you get that costume anyway? It looks ridiculous."

"Aw, I come all this way to rescue you and this is how you say thank you?" The magician drew on a wounded expression that Shinichi didn't buy for a minute (thought he had to admit that it was very convincing—all the way up until the magician laughed anyway). "Come on, let's go upstairs, get you some warmer clothes and a bite to eat. You look terrible. Oh, and the rest of you," he added, raising his voice so that it rang out and echoed through the vast, underground hall. "You're all free to go now!"

X

The celebration that rocked the castle that night was so loud Shinichi was sure there wasn't a single person on the entire island who didn't hear it. The former prisoners took great pleasure from smashing what remained of the snow globes. The surviving rats of Natopolis were unexpectedly ready to negotiate with the newly released and it seemed the island's two cities were well on their way to making up, especially since Drossy the Wizard had ben given the crystal peanut and announced that he should have a solution to the dollification spell by the end of the month. As for Luffy and his crew—they were ecstatic just to chow down on what had originally been meant to be the former king's dinner banquet. Well, all except for Nami, who had made a beeline for the treasure vaults only to find that she had been beaten to the punch by Kaito.

"Hey, no need to give me such a nasty look," he informed her, raising his hands defensively so that she could see the small, green flower he was holding in one of them. "This is the only thing I'm taking. The rest is all yours."

Shinichi had retreated to one of the unoccupied guest rooms the crew had commandeered for the night about an hour into the feasting. He had no idea how Luffy and the others could eat so much, but _he_ certainly couldn't and parties never had been high on his list of events he liked to spend copious amounts of time at. Kaito had come in not long after that, juggling two cups of a strange, red fruit juice neither of them could name.

"It's supposed to be an island specialty," he explained, handing one glass to Shinichi before taking a sip from his own. "Got a bottle of it for us to bring along too."

Accepting the cup, Shinichi stared into its ruby depths for a moment before raising it to his lips. It was sweet and actually a little spicy. Was that natural? Or had they added something to it? He'd probably never know. "I assume we're leaving tomorrow then?"

"Unless you want to stay longer."

The detective grimaced slightly. "I think I'd rather not. I'm not sure how much more of this place I can stand. Though a full night's sleep sounds good."

"This certainly has been a peculiar few days," the magician chuckled.

"You mean mad," Shinichi corrected before a sigh escaped his lips. He was sure it would all catch up with him eventually, but for now he was too tired to deal with the sheer weirdness of it all. Probably later, once he'd gotten some sleep and had some time to breathe, but there were advantages to being too tired to be freaked out. "I feel like we've been running a marathon since we arrived in this world," he added, speaking more to himself than to Kaito.

A small, almost thoughtful smile touched the corners of the magician's mouth. "At least we're both okay. I'd say that's worth a toast." He raised his glass to illustrate his point and watched Shinichi expectantly.

The detective blinked at the raised glass before meeting the other's indigo gaze. Finally he shook his head, laughing a little at the absurdity and maybe a little in relief, and mimicked the gesture. Glass clinked softly in the quiet of the room.

**TBC**

* * *

**Next**: Eras Away [Rurouni Kenshin]

**A.N**: So who noticed what story the island was themed after? Anyhow, RK is next because I wanted a world without magic, and some people suggested it, so I thought I'd go for historical instead. It'll also hopefully be more character focused since this one…well, wasn't. DC and the kind of blasé violence of One Piece just don't mix well it seems. Or at least not for me… Well, I have a lot of things to study for/papers to write right now so I've gotta get going. Thanks for reading and special thanks to everyone who's stuck with me! ^_^


	6. Eras Away

**A.N**: Well, this is a really peaceful chapter. I threw out something like six to nine plot lines before I settled with this one. I think my own irritation with the One Piece chapter gave me writer's block with this one. On a side note, the One Piece island was themed after The Nutcracker. I didn't use the plot, obviously, but that was where a lot of the ideas came from. I guess it wasn't as obvious as I thought ^^

Disclaimer: I don't own DCMK or RK.

* * *

6: Eras Away

(World 6: Rurouni Kenshin)

Kaito was starting to think there was a bug in the translocater's programming because while it landed him on his feet this time it had decided it would be a grand idea to place him on top of a clothesline. While his sense of balance was superb and he certainly had the skills to walk on suspected, narrow things, no amount of skill in the world could force the flimsy thing to hold his weight. It collapsed without putting up anything remotely resembling a fight.

Moving instinctively, he hit the ground in a roll and was back on his feet again in a matter of moments, this time on firmer ground. Pulling a rather soggy gi (what the…?) off his head, he glanced around to find himself being stared at in surprise by a short, red haired man holding another sodden piece of laundry which he had probably been about to hang on the clothesline now lying expired on the ground. He noted absently that the man was dressed in more old fashioned Japanese clothes complete with what looked like a real sword sheathed at his side and they were standing in the yard beside a similarly traditional, Japanese building. It looked like some kind of dojo. Well, that would explain the clothes. Traditional garments were still customarily used in martial arts venues.

"I'm sorry about your laundry," Kaito apologized. Before the redhead could say anything however a young boy's voice suddenly rang out from somewhere inside the building.

"Hey! You! Who are you and what are you doing in here?"

"I—I'm sorry, I was lost," a more familiar voice stammered and Kaito noted that at least he didn't have to look for his fellow traveler this time. He also noted that Shinichi hadn't gotten any better at lying in their months abroad. Seriously, lost? Was that the best he could come up with?

"Yeah right. People don't just get lost and wander into other people's houses! What do you want?"

Apparently Kaito wasn't the only one who thought the explanation unbelievable. Then again, he supposed, there really weren't a lot of things you could say to someone who'd just found you in their house uninvited (the most believable lies all led to jail). If anything 'lost' was a fairly accurate description of the truth. At least it sounded like the boy hadn't seen Shinichi's actual arrival.

Unlike the redhead.

"I didn't mean to just drop in like that," Kaito continued, offering the man an apologetic smile. "But I thought I might find my friend here and it sounds like I was right. Here," he added. Picking up the end of the clothesline, he reattached it to its supports, taking the now dirt-stained laundry off of it while he did so. "I don't think this is going to shake out. They're going to have to be washed again."

"I guess it can't be helped," the redhead replied, hanging the last—now only—clean piece of laundry on the line. "Can you put the dirty ones back in the basket?"

Marveling at the bizarrely calm response, Kaito piled the soiled clothes into the empty basket as requested. All the while he could sense that the stranger was paying very close attention to his actions. So perhaps the man wasn't as blasé about the situation as he'd seemed, though he hid it remarkably well. Kaito mentally gave the man a thumb's up for that. The redhead picked up the basket then and politely invited him inside where they could still hear Shinichi and the kid's voices.

X

Inside the dojo, Shinichi winced at the demand being issued at him by a very loud boy with short, spiky black hair and a bamboo sword. He took a breath to give himself a moment to glance around his surroundings and he realized that he recognized this particular type of architecture and décor. It was some kind of dojo—probably for kendo, considering the boy with the shinai. No protective armor though, he noted.

"I just wanted to take a look around the dojo," he amended. "I didn't mean to barge in though. I'm really sorry."

"A look at the dojo?" the boy repeated, lowering the shinai he'd been pointing like an accusatory finger and giving Shinichi a wary once over. "Are you a new student or something? You don't look like the swordsman type, no offense."

"Oh, no, none taken," Shinichi assured him. "I'm actually more interested in—history. So the architecture of this dojo caught my attention. Do you know when it was built?"

"Uh…right… I don't know anything about that kind of stuff," the boy mumbled, looking away in mixed embarrassment and annoyance.

"Well, maybe you could just show me around?" Shinichi asked a bit hesitantly. He knew he should be looking for Kaito, but it didn't seem right just to bolt from here either.

The boy gave him a considering look, clearly unsure about what to do with this strange intruder.

"Ah Shinichi, there you are! You really have to work on that bad habit you know. Just because you see something interesting doesn't mean it's all right to lose track of your common sense!"

Shinichi turned to see Kaito and a redheaded man walking into the dojo (the magician had the audacity to wink at him). He wasn't sure if he should be irritated at the jibe or thankful for the magician's sudden arrival (this meant they wouldn't have to search for each other). He settled for being a little bit of both.

"Well, you could have said something," he grumbled, deciding to play along with this strange new pretext Kaito seemed to have started building.

"I would have if you hadn't wandered off so quickly." He turned back to the boy and bowed. "We apologize, but our studies do tend to require that we study existing architectural structures."

"I have no idea what you just said," the boy said flatly. "But if you want to look around I guess you should ask Kaoru. This is her dojo."

"Well then, we would certainly appreciate it if we could speak with her."

The boy sighed and turned. "Wait here."

"I'll go make some tea," the redhead who had come in with Kaito announced before following the boy out of the dojo.

The travelers traded uncertain glances before taking a seat on the bare, wooden floors. It wasn't like they had anywhere to go so they might as well talk to these people. Besides, Shinichi reflected, it wouldn't be right to just drop in on them out of the blue like this then run for it while their backs were turned.

The redhead arrived with the tea first. He poured the three of them each a cup and settled down, apparently intending to wait with them.

"I must say," he remarked as he took a sip from his cup. "I have seen many things in my life but I have never seen a man appear the way you did this morning."

"Ah well, I _am_ a magician," Kaito replied, his tone casually implying that that was all the explanation there need be. "It's something of a habit."

"I see. That must make your travels very interesting."

Shinichi couldn't suppress a soft snort. "That's one way to put it."

Kaito just smirked. "You can't deny my skills have been useful."

"And you can't deny you like to use those skills to cause mass mayhem."

The magician laughed. "That's true."

"That's not something you should sound so proud of," Shinichi pointed out

The redhead smiled. "It sounds to me like you have been traveling for a long time together, that it does."

"It _has_ been a while," Shinichi agreed, thinking to himself that it felt like forever. But the kind of forever that also felt like no time at all.

A few minutes later the boy returned with a young woman who introduced herself as Kaoru, the assistant master of the Kamiya Dojo.

"Yahiko said you study architecture?" she asked, sounding a bit confused but in a curious rather than a suspicious way.

"Um, history actually," Shinichi corrected. "But with an architectural emphasis."

"We've been traveling all over Japan, visiting different sites," Kaito added by way of further explanation. "I'm a performer you see, so I practice my trade and help my friend here along the way."

"I see," she murmured, nodding thoughtfully. "So you're a scholar then?"

Shinichi nodded a bit uncomfortably. "I'm writing a documentary."

"Oh, that sounds fun. Well, I'd be happy to show you around, though I don't really know much about architecture."

"That's all right," Kaito assured her. "Anything you could tell us would be great. And a guided tour would be appreciated."

"Of course," Kaoru agreed, smiling in some excitement at the novelty of it all. She immediately launched into an introduction of her dojo, telling her guests about her father and his ideals for the school as she led them around the house. Afterward she invited the two travelers to join her, Kenshin, and Yahiko for dinner over which the two were asked about their travels: what they'd seen, where they'd been, and what kinds of adventures they had had. Kaito fielded most of the questions with funny little anecdotes and a few elaborate, purely fictional stories about some weird people and places they had purportedly met and been to that Shinichi listened to with mild bemusement. How the magician could pull all that out of the air he had no idea. At least their hosts were enjoying the stories.

By the time the tour and dinner was over the sun had already set.

"I don't suppose you would know where we might be able to find lodgings?" Kaito asked their three new acquaintances.

"At this hour all the inns should be closed," Kaoru replied with a slight frown. "But I guess you could stay here for the night if you don't have anywhere to go."

"We would really appreciate it," Shinichi replied, stifling a yawn. "Sorry about the intrusion."

The two of them were shown to an unfurnished room. Spare futons were unearthed from the storage house and laid out on the floor. The redhead who had been introduced as Himura Kenshin brought them a small lantern just in case before everyone dispersed for the night.

X

Shinichi woke to the chorus of coos that meant Kaito was feeding his doves. It was a sound he'd grown familiar with over the past few months. He could also feel the warmth of sunlight on his face, probably coming through the room's one window, so it was probably time to get up. Letting out a resigned sigh, he pried his eyes open and levered himself into a sitting position.

"Good morning~," Kaito's voice greeted him almost immediately.

"G'morning," the detective mumbled back, fighting a yawn as he crawled out of the futon. His head felt fuzzy and heavier than it had any right to feel but if he didn't get up now he probably wouldn't be able to make himself get up for another few hours. He had just gotten to his feet when a wave of dizziness swept through him and he let out an involuntary groan.

Kaito looked around from where he had just finished feeding his flock (ignoring the itch that had started in his nose. It had been there on and off all morning and man it was getting annoying). "Shinichi?"

The detective didn't answer. He just stood where he was for a moment, swaying dangerously.

Kaito got quickly to his feet and reached out to steady him then had to turn away himself as he sneezed—six times in a row as his nose began to run.

"Oh this is absolutely perfect," he muttered, helping Shinichi back to his recently vacated futon and checking his temperature with the back of his hand. "You've got a fever and I—" he sneezed again, "—seem to have caught my first cold in years." And there went another sneeze. "You stay here all right? I'll go see if they have any medicine."

Shinichi mumbled something that could have been an agreement or a declaration of war for all the sense it made. Kaito would have laughed but that just seemed to make his nose run faster. Ugh. Where had he put those packs of tissues again?

He found their hosts out on the front porch and didn't have to say a word for them to know what was going on. The runny nose and wad of tissues in his hand were, after all, something of a giveaway. That was a bit off-putting. Losing control over his image was _not_ something he appreciated in the slightest. People were not supposed to know _anything_ about him unless he decided they should. On the other hand it made communicating what he wanted a lot easier and less wordy, which his throat did appreciate.

"My friend has a fever," he explained shortly, pausing to pull another tissue from the air and blow his nose again. He rattled off a short list of names for medicine he knew dealt with fevers but got only blank looks in return. Well, it was probably too much to expect that all worlds would have the same medicines, let alone by the same names. Instead Kaoru said something about getting the doctor and Kaito was instructed to 'go rest' while they rustled up something for them to eat.

Seeing no reason to object even if he did think calling a doctor was a bit overdoing it, Kaito retreated to their room where he set about unpacking a few things he thought might be useful. Obviously they weren't going anywhere for at least another day or two.

He let out an annoyed sigh. On the bright side, he didn't have a fever. But instead his nose was running like there was no tomorrow and he was starting to have the occasional coughing fit. He'd already run through several packs of tissues from their supplies and it didn't look like it was going to be stopping any time soon. It was incredibly dull to have to spend what felt like hours on end blowing his nose, and of course every time he thought he'd cleaned it all out he'd have to start all over again. And on top of that being bored was making him tired.

"This really sucks," he told the room at large. His doves cooed, glancing at him from where they were currently waddling around, exploring their new surroundings. The only bird not poking around was Aome, who was still asleep.

"Being sick usually does," Shinichi mumbled from his futon.

"Perhaps, but the timing certainly could have been better."

He was answered by a quiet snort. "It's our own fault. We should've prepared better snowy weather clothes."

"As they say, hindsight is twenty-twenty. But really, we could hardly have expected to end up slogging through miles of snow."

"Should've least thought 'bout it. Bound t'happen sooner or la'er…"

The magician chuckled and promptly sneezed again. "Go back to sleep Tantei-kun. You're starting to lose coherence there."

"Y'should too."

With nothing better to do, the magician decided to take the advice. Sleeping was better than being bored anyway. Maybe he could dream something amusing instead.

Later when the doctor came it was an old man their hosts called Doctor Gensai. Instead of giving them any prescriptions he made them both drink some weird, herbal mixture. Shinichi wasn't sure if he felt better or worse after that. The exaggerated gagging sounds coming from the room's other occupant suggested at least that Kaito wasn't feeling too bad since he obviously still had the energy to project said sounds throughout the room. Very loudly. Groaning, Shinichi sat up and crawled just far enough out of the futon to grab the wizards' box from where it had been sitting on the floor beside the rest of their stuff (and Kaito's pile of tissues which had been artfully arranged into the shape of a top hat. The magician really must have been bored, he thought wryly). Rummaging around inside it, he found what he was looking for and shuffled around to drop it on the magician's pillow in front of his nose before going back to his own futon and burrowing under the covers again. The exaggerated gagging sounds stopped and there were several seconds of silence before the sound of crinkling wrappers filled the air. Then silence again.

Relieved, Shinichi closed his eyes and let the dark tendrils of sleep pull him under.

X

When Shinichi next woke it was to the sound of whispering voices. They sounded like they were coming from right outside the door.

"Oh look! There're so many birdies in there! Can we go see them Uncle Kenny?" a child's voice exclaimed in excitement. "Please?"

"Maybe later," Kenshin's voice answered. "We have guests right now and they need to rest so they can get better."

"Oh, okay," the child replied, sounding slightly disappointed but still cheerful.

Shinichi found himself smiling softly as he drifted back to sleep, memories of a certain group of elementary school kids bubbling to the surface of his thoughts. The next time he woke it was to the loud and urgent grumbling of his stomach which felt like it was about to turn on him and devour itself. Prying his eyes open, he stared up at the ceiling for a moment, marveling at the fact that his head didn't feel like it was throbbing. His stomach let out another ferocious growl and he let out an exasperated half groan as he pushed himself into a sitting position. His head might have cleared, but the rest of him still felt like it was weighed down with lead.

There was a rustle of fabric to the side and he glanced over at the other futon to see Kaito sitting up and stretching. The magician met his gaze with a broad grin and opened his mouth—only nothing emerged. Indigo eyes blinked as Kaito's mouth continued to move, but still there was no sound. Horror dawned on the magician's face, completely unrestrained, and he turned to stare at Shinichi like someone who had just seen the sun rise in the west.

Shinichi blinked back at him in some surprise. "You lost your voice?"

The look the magician shot him translated clearly as a 'Duh'. The look was followed by a rather sour glare. Shinichi suppressed the urge to back away. It wasn't like he had anything to do with the magician's predicament after all.

"Just give it some time," Shinichi said in what he hoped was a soothing way as he wondered why this of all things had put the magician in such a foul—and sudden—mood. "It'll come back."

Kaito snapped his fingers and a pen and small notepad appeared in a puff of smoke. He scribbled something down and showed it to Shinichi. It read: 'No, really? I would never have guessed'.

Shinichi frowned, starting to get a bit annoyed himself. "If that's all you have to say, you might as well not say anything." Crawling out of his futon, he straightened it out and headed for the door. "I'm going to see if there's anything to eat."

He found Yahiko practicing swings in the dojo. The boy had an intensely focused expression on his face as he brought his shinai down with a yell. Shinichi watched him do his drills for a few moments, not wanting to interrupt when the boy was obviously so focused, but his stomach gave another embarrassingly loud rumble, catching Yahiko's attention.

"Oh, hey, I take it that means you're feeling better if you're hungry," the boy said when he saw him.

Shinichi flushed. "Uh, yeah… I don't suppose you know where I might be able to get something to eat?"

Yahiko shrugged. "Kaoru and Kenshin are both out, but there's some stuff in the kitchen if you can cook. In fact, you should probably give it a try even if you can't because you'll just get sick again if Kaoru makes your next meal."

Shinichi blinked. "It can't be that bad…"

Yahiko grimaced. "Oh yes it can. Just trust me on this."

Kaito wandered into the dojo at that moment. He made his way to the open doorway leading outside and leaned against the wall with his arms folded, gaze turned towards the sunny day outside. Both detective and dojo student watched him for a moment before Yahiko turned back to Shinichi with a confused look. He'd been under the impression that the guy with the messy hair was a rather energetic person who never stopped smiling. This seemed to be a completely different person.

"Is he all right?"

Shinichi glanced at the sullen Kaito again and rolled his eyes (the magician seemed determined that the entire world should know he was upset today. What he thought that would accomplish, Shinichi couldn't begin to guess). "He's fine. He's just sulking because he lost his voice."

"Well, if you say so. Anyway, do you remember where the kitchen is?"

Shinichi nodded. "I do, but I don't know where anything is."

"Huh, that would be a problem." Yahiko let out a slightly annoyed sigh as he set his shinai aside. "I'll go get some stuff set out then and you can see what you can do with it. Just give me a few minutes." That said, he left with quick steps.

"Do you want something too?" Shinichi asked, glancing back at Kaito.

The magician shrugged noncommittally, not bothering to look away from whatever it was outside he found so interesting.

"Why don't you just pretend that you're a mime or something?" Shinichi snapped, starting to get irritated again. Honestly. "You like acting. Just think about it as an act!"

Kaito turned to stare at him for a moment then abruptly doubled over in peels of silent laughter. He was laughing so hard he really did end up rolling on the floor. The detective stared down at him nonplused. He had absolutely no idea what the magician was laughing about, but at least he wasn't sulking anymore. Letting out a sigh that was half confused half relieved, he headed for the kitchen.

He was going to have to get a good present for Ran when he got back home to thank her for her cooking lessons. He'd never realized how useful they'd be. Then again, he'd never thought he'd end up working in kitchens or being unable to call for takeout either.

Yahiko had found him a metal pan, some eggs, and a few assorted vegetables. "If you can't make anything out of this stuff, at least most of it can be eaten raw."

Shinichi laughed. "That was thoughtful, thank you. But I think I might be able to do something with it."

They didn't have the kinds of stoves he was used to seeing, but it wasn't particularly fancy. Just a bit old fashioned. Well, time to get to work.

Having thought Yahiko had gone back to the dojo, Shinicih was startled when the boy spoke up again from right beside him. "What is that?"

"Uh…" Shinichi looked down into the pan then back up at Yahiko again, puzzled. "It's an omelet…?" Sans cheese, granted, but it was still fairly obvious that it was an omelet—or at least he thought so.

Yahiko was giving him an odd look. "A what?"

"An omelet. It's like a…a big, egg dumpling."

The boy made a face. "That sounds really weird."

Shinichi had to agree but he couldn't think of a better analogy at the moment. "It's a breakfast food a friend of mine taught me to make because it's fast and fairly easy." Which Ran had apparently deemed essential qualities for food he should learn to make because she was under the impression he wouldn't bother with breakfast if it was difficult or time consuming. "Haven't you ever had one before?"

"No, never even heard of it before. Could I try some?" the boy asked a bit hesitantly, eyeing the omelet like it might leap out of the pan and bite him.

Shinichi smiled. "Just give me a moment to finish it."

A few minutes later three pieces of omelet were placed on three sushi dishes and the three occupants of the dojo sat down on the porch outside to eat. Yahiko prodded at the yellow food substance with his chopsticks experimentally before picking it up, staring at it some more, then taking a bite. He chewed slowly then swallowed.

"Hn, it's actually not that bad. Still a bit strange though."

"It's better with cheese," Shinichi admitted.

"Ten times better than anything Kaoru does though." Finishing off his first omelet ever, Yahiko hopped back onto his feet. "I want to get in some more practice. Just yell if you need anything all right?"

"All right. Thank you."

Once the boy was gone, Kaito snapped his fingers to get Shinichi's attention. The magician then held up both his hands, fingers spread and palms out so that Shinichi could see he wasn't holding anything.

"Yes?" the detective asked, puzzled.

Grinning, Kaito put his palms together like he was praying then pulled them apart slowly—to reveal words spelled out in brightly colored beads floating between his palms. Shinichi knew there had to be something holding them up, but whatever they were he couldn't see them and it was definitely an astonishing sight. He was so caught up in the floating words that it took him a moment to register what they were actually saying.

/So much cooler than paper, no?/

"…I guess so. I take it that means you're in a better mood now?"

/Yep./

"That's good to hear," Shinichi sighed. Truth be told, Kaito was kind of creepy when he was in a bad mood. Maybe it was because it happened so rarely. He just hoped he never had to see the magician angry. That would probably be downright frightening.

The magician smiled a bit apologetically. /Sorry about that./

"It's all right. I just didn't expect you of all people to get so bent out of shape over something so minor."

Indigo eyes widened in affected horror. /Minor? Do you have any idea how important my voice is for my work?/

Shinichi considered the question. Kaito had a point. It was his mastery of the skill of sounding like anyone he wanted that allowed him to pull of those flawless impersonations he was so famous for. And his undeniably silver tongue had a way of getting people to think and do exactly what he wanted them to. So it was probably a good thing for Kaito that he hadn't been sick in ages.

/You see? Anyhow, so how about a game of cards?/

"Shouldn't we be figuring out what to do next?"

/Doesn't mean we can't play cards at the same time./

"Can you do that thing with the beads and hold cards at the same time?"

Kaito rolled his eyes. /Hello, this is me you're talking to!/

"Right, right, how could I forget," Shinichi sighed then smiled. "You can do anything, of course."

/You got it!/

As it turned out they didn't get much discussing done. Shinichi was too busy wondering what had possessed him to agree to play _cards_ with _Kaito_. He already knew the magician was supernaturally lucky. As it was he lost every game they played. If it had been a strategy game Shinichi knew he could have held his own, but when it came to games of chance…well, it probably didn't help that he'd always been somewhat the opposite of lucky.

/We should buy a travel chess set next time the opportunity arises,/ Kaito noted some time later.

Shinichi sighed, giving the cards on the floorboards between them a disgruntled look. "That would be appreciated."

He was relieved when the doctor arrived with two little girls in tow.

"You two look well," the old man noted with a kind smile when he spotted them on the front porch.

"Yes, thank you for your help," Shinichi replied, smiling back.

"I'm just glad you two are feeling better. By the way, is Kaoru home?"

The detective shook his head. "She and Kenshin left this morning on some errands."

"Oh, I see…" The old man sighed. "I was hoping they would watch Ayame and Suzume for me today since I have a lot of house calls to make this afternoon."

"We can watch them," Shinichi offered, earning himself a raised eyebrow from Kaito. "And Yahiko's here to."

Doctor Gensai thought the offer over for a moment, studying the two teenagers, then smiled and nodded. "I would be very grateful."

X

"Were all those birdies we saw the other day yours?" Ayame asked excitedly the moment her grandfather was gone.

"Oh, well, actually they're his," Shinichi explained, gesturing towards Kaito who bowed and produced a flower for each girl. They laughed and clapped. Suzume tucked her flower behind her ear as her sister buried her nose in hers. Even their delight at the flowers however couldn't distract them from what they really wanted to do.

/You can see them if you promise to be gentle,/ the magician informed them. Both girls blinked in unison at the colored beads but they took the spelled out speech in stride and nodded their heads quickly, eyes wide and bright. /Okay then, follow me./

Kaito led the girls to the guest room with Shinichi trailing after them. He didn't have anything else to do so he might as well keep an eye on things. After all, he'd promised the doctor he'd watch his grandchildren.

The doves, being performing doves, took rather well to being 'aww'ed over. Several of them strutted about and flared their wings to show themselves off. The girls were delighted and they followed after the doves like ducklings following their mother all around the room.

Ayame paused beside the folded futons to peer at Aome, the only dove who hadn't greeted the children upon their arrival. "But why is this one all curled up? Is it sad?"

Kaito chuckled silently. /No. She's just sleeping./

"Really? Can I hold her?"

/It might be better if we let her sleep. Here, why don't you hold these guys instead?/ The magician whistled and two of the doves fluttered to him to land one on each hand. He held them out towards the two girls who squealed in delight. The doves themselves cooed inquiringly at the children, their heads tilting slightly. /Remember, you have to be gentle, all right? Birds are much more delicate than us humans./

"Okay!" both girls agreed, gathering closer and holding out their hands eagerly.

Kaito moved his own hands closer to theirs and the birds hopped obediently over. Ayame and Suzume let out identical gasps of delight. The rest of the day was spent playing with the doves. Every now and then Kaito would throw in a bird related magic trick, much to the wonder of both girls. By the time their grandfather came to collect them neither of them wanted to go, but they relented when it was promised that they would be able to see the birdies again next time they came over.

Once they had gone, Shinichi turned back to Kaito to find the magician wearing a speculating expression that bordered on a frown. Before him was the ball of white feathers that was the sleeping Aome. "Is something wrong?"

Kaito glanced at him then back at the sleeping bird as his fingers deftly worked his beads. /I'm not sure. The thing is, she's been sleeping since we got here. And do you see how she's all fluffed out? It's not cold here, so I'm starting to think she might be ill./

Shinichi contemplated the ball of white feathers with an uneasy frown. "Can birds catch colds from humans?"

Kaito shrugged. /I've never had it happen to any of mine. But then again, I haven't been sick in ages./

"But…she's not, well—"

/A normal bird?/

Shinichi nodded, gently petting the sleeping dove and noting with growing concern that she seemed to be shivering. "I wouldn't think she could get normal illnesses."

/Maybe it was that blast she blocked back on the island then,/ Kaito mused before gently scooping the bird into his hands and stroking the warm, feathery back. When she didn't respond he set her gently on the warm floorboards again. /It looked pretty powerful./

"So like…it could have disrupted something?" the detective guessed, feeling rather too much like a fish out of water.

/Your guess is as good as mine. For all we know maybe we haven't been feeding her the right kinds of food./

"I'm sure she'd have found a way to let us know if that were the case," Shinichi assured him. "I actually had the feeling she only eats because she likes to, not because she needs to," he added.

/Me too actually,/ the magician admitted, chuckling (Shinichi couldn't help but notice again how strange it was to see the laugh but not hear it). /It's possible she draws sustenance from some other source entirely./

"Then maybe that's the problem. Perhaps whatever it is doesn't exist on some worlds."

/Possibly, but I would've thought Yami would have warned us if that were the case. I could be wrong, but he seemed to know a lot about magic and other worlds. He didn't strike me as the kind of person who'd forget to mention something as important as that./

Shinichi sighed. "That's true. Though it could be that the problem lies with something they thought was so basic it didn't need to be mentioned."

/Or something they did not think would be a problem under normal circumstances. After all, we _have_ had some pretty strange adventures lately./

"I don't suppose you have any bird medicine or something on you?"

/Unfortunately, no./

"So what do you think we should do?"

/Wait, I suppose. There isn't much else we can do for the time being—except maybe ask around for a sorcerer./

"I guess we could try that," Shinichi mused then frowned. "What's so funny?"

/Nothing, nothing,/ the magician replied, still grinning.

The detective eyed him quizzically. "It's the sorcerer thing isn't it? I've been everywhere you have, you know," he said a bit defensively.

/True, but you have to admit, a detective agreeing to ask around for sorcerers doesn't happen everyday. You must agree it's amusing./

"…" Shinichi sighed, wondering if Kaito was going to continue seeing his acknowledgment of the existence of the supernatural as a source of great amusement. Probably.

X

"We're back!" Kenshin announced as he had Kaoru entered the front yard. Yahiko popped his head out of the dojo and greeted them.

"So how'd it go?" he asked, coming out to sit on the front porch.

Kaoru let out a tired sigh. "No luck. Everyone who seemed interested in learning swordsmanship either didn't think they had the time or is already going to that new dojo that opened down the street! Oh, what did we do wrong?" she exclaimed, clasping her hands together and looking towards the sky as though it had her answers. "I mean, we've been here for a lot longer than they have! And we have such a beautiful young teacher! Why would they go to some new dojo no one's ever heard of when they could have just come to us?"

Kenshin placed a hand lightly on her shoulder in an attempt to soothe her. "Calm down Miss Kaoru. I'm sure it's just a matter of time. After all, the fact that this new dojo is gathering students means that people are starting to find an interest in learning swordsmanship again, that it does. I am sure that more people will find their way here if you are patient."

"But we've been giving it nothing but time!" Kaoru exclaimed. "We can't wait forever! We're barely getting by as it is with the handful of people who've been asking for private lessons…"

All three fell into a somber silence as the reality and possible severity of the problem rolled over them and settled in like a very large, very cold, wet blanket.

Kaito and Shinichi had come outside when they'd heard the voices and witnessed most of the conversation. They traded glances. Neither of them wanted to be a burden to their hosts who'd been nothing but hospitable.

Shinichi cleared his throat. "Um, excuse me, but Kaito and I should probably be going. We'd really appreciate it if you could point us to the nearest inn."

"What?" Kaoru gasped. "But you're both ill! You shouldn't be going anywhere."

"Kaito and I are both feeling a lot better now, thanks to you and your doctor friend," he assured her. "And we can't impose on you any longer"

"Oh this is about the money thing isn't it? I didn't mean for you to hear all that…" The woman laughed a bit sheepishly. "But really, you can stay here a little longer, we don't mind."

"Yeah, we're not gonna kick you out just because you don't have a fever anymore," Yahiko piped up, sounding bored.

Shinichi hesitated a moment then inclined his head. "Thank you."

There was a flash of light and everyone turned to look at Kaito who held up his hands. /I have an idea. We can help you./

"Help us?" Kaoru repeated slowly, confused.

/With your student problem. You were having trouble getting students, right?/

Kaoru's expression fell instantly but she nodded.

/To a new dojo?/

This time she scowled.

Kenshin laughed lightly. "Actually we haven't seen many students here other than Yahiko for a while…"

"But now there's a new dojo down the street," Yahiko continued. "And suddenly people seem to want to take swordsmanship lessons again. Just not here."

Kaito nodded thoughtfully. /Sounds to me like what you need is good advertisement./

Kaoru, Kenshin, and Yahiko traded looks. It was Kaoru who finally spoke. "Advertisement?"

/How have you been trying to get students so far?/

"Well, I go out to give some private lessons every week," Kaoru said. "And sometimes they have friends over… I've also tried asking around to see who might be interested and then I go talk to them."

"Have you tried putting out an ad in the local paper?" Shinichi asked. "Or are there any places a lot of people go to where you might be able to put one up? Like a popular restaurant?"

"Well…"

X

Brainstorming continued well into the evening. Shinichi excused himself before after dinner in order to take a quick look around the city (and ask around about sorcerers, not that he was going to tell their hosts that just in case this world wasn't magic friendly. They didn't need their hosts to start thinking they were sheltering madmen), leaving the others to continue brainstorming under Kaito's enthusiastic directing.

It was his first trip out of the Kamiya Dojo's grounds and the moment he stepped outside and looked both ways he understood why Yahiko had made such a big deal out of an omelet as well as why some of the suggestions he and Kaito had made earlier had drawn only blank looks from everyone else. Stepping outside felt like stepping back through time. Their hosts had referred to this city as Tokyo, but it was nothing like even the most remote fringes of the Tokyo Shinichi knew. Here the streets were all packed dirt and the buildings would have made a historian's day. And yet he could see signs of modernization here and there and even the occasional suited passerby that suggested it wasn't quite as old as his first impression of it had been.

Was it possible that they had actually gone back in time? Or had they simply landed in a world that, while being similar enough to speak Japanese and contain a Tokyo, was running on tracks that happened to mirror their own world's past? He supposed they'd never know for sure. Though he was personally more inclined to believe in the latter.

Probably because he didn't want to imagine just how much smaller the chance of getting home might become if they not only had to get back to the right world but the right time too.

/You look disturbed,/ Kaito observed when Shinichi rejoined him later that night. /No luck./

"I got laughed at a lot," he replied with a sigh. "And one person directed me to what I think might have been the local version of a shrink."

The corners of the magician's mouth twitched but he had the courtesy not to laugh. /That's too bad. I guess we need a different plan./

"Yeah, but that's not it." Shinichi turned restless eyes towards the window and the night sky outside. "Do you…believe in time travel?"

Kaito paused for a moment before answering. /Didn't used to. Now, well, let's just say I wouldn't rule it out. Why do you ask?/

"I talked to a lot of people while I was out."

/And?/

"The Meiji Revolution apparently ended not all that long ago."

Kaito frowned slightly, indigo eyes thoughtful. That would certainly explain a lot of things. It also raised certain questions that he had a feeling were what was bothering his companion. He had to admit even he found the thought daunting. Even if there were only ten worlds out there—which he knew by now was about as likely as Nakamori announcing himself a KID fan—adding to that al the infinite points in time both past and future… The chances of landing on the right spot on the grid of existence had been small enough without that. On the other hand, getting discouraged wouldn't help even if it was terribly easy.

He could tell Shinichi was thinking about it. And getting a bit depressed about it by the looks of things. Well, they couldn't have that.

Shinichi let out a yelp of surprise as he was yanked back into a one-armed hug and the pad of paper he hadn't seen since that morning was held up in front of his face where he had no choice but to look at it.

/Think about it this way. Wouldn't it be fun if we could meet our ancestors?/

He stared for a moment at the words then laughed, all the tension leaving him in the sudden rush of mirth. "I guess it would. Though I'm not sure I want to know what kind of people came together to produce you." He could feel the magician laugh even if he couldn't hear it.

_Just take it one step at a time_, he added to himself, the familiar spark of determination flaring up as he prepared to sleep that night. _Any chance is a chance. We can do this._

X

Aome seemed to have perked up a bit by the next morning but she still wasn't entirely herself yet and the travelers agreed that they should let her rest a few more days before sending her out. Truth be told they were both still rather worried about her but neither of them had broached the issue yet, waiting as they were to see if the extended rest was all she needed. As it was they'd decided it would be best if they took turns watching her. Shinichi had volunteered to take the first shift so that Kaito could take a turn looking around town while helping their hosts figure out which locations would best serve their advertising needs. Kaoru, Kenshin, and Yahiko had gone with him to show him their own ideas about where to place their ads as well as pick up materials they could use to make said ads. Thus Shinichi had been left to watch the dojo while they were away.

It was a warm day out and he had taken Aome out to the front porch in the hopes that some fresh air and sunshine would help her recovery. She definitely seemed to approve of the move and was happily preening herself as she basked in the sunlight.

"You know, I've been wondering about you," he told her, stroking her head gently with a finger. "Kaito told me you took some kind of energy blast on the island. From what he said, it seems like that was about the time I thought something woke me up. And you know, I could've sworn it was some kind of shock that woke me. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you?"

Beady blue eyes peered at him accompanied by an inquiring coo.

"And now you get sick at the same time that we do," he continued. "I can't help but think that's not a coincidence."

Aome fluttered her wings and burbled cheerfully (sounding a little too much like a sick person trying to show they were all right). The detective sighed but his mouth curled itself into a smile anyway.

"I guess it's not really that important at the moment, but I would like to know someday. Sometimes I really wish you could talk."

The bird bobbed her head in apparent agreement and he had to laugh.

When Kaito and the others got back the five of them converted the dojo into a temporary workshop with papers all over the floor. There were big ones and small ones, most of it not particularly high quality but they didn't need it to be. Ink and brushes were unearthed and the brainstorming began anew. It felt, Shinichi reflected, weirdly like a school project (in a kind of fun sort of way, strangely enough). He wound up doing a lot of the actual writing because his handwriting was deemed by everyone to be nice and neat.

"I think you should try to keep the phrasing simple," he found himself suggesting. "That way it will be easier for people to remember."

"What is going on here?"

Everyone in the dojo glanced around to see a tall young man with a head of dark, spiky hair standing in the open doorway, staring at the papers sprawled everywhere. The expression on his face suggested that he thought everyone in the room had gone mad.

"Oh hello Sano," Kenshin greeted the newcomer with a smile echoed by Kaoru and Yahiko. Obviously this was a friend of theirs. "We are helping Miss Kaoru make posters for the dojo."

"Make…posters?" the newcomer, Sano, repeated dubiously, the piece of grass he'd been chewing hanging limply out of the corner of his mouth.

"We were thinking it might help more potential students find the dojo," Kaoru explained.

"I guess that makes sense… Uh, I'll be heading off then since you seem to be pretty busy. Just swung by to say hi."

"Hey, wait!" Kaoru called after him but he had already disappeared. She frowned slightly, sitting back on her heels. "He could have stayed and given us a hand."

"That's probably why he left so fast," Yahiko snickered from where he was cutting simple patterns out of the completed posters to make them more interesting. "He knew you'd try to recruit him."

"Who was that?" Shinichi asked curiously.

Yahiko shrugged. "That was just Sanosuke. He likes to come by 'cause he sometimes gets free food that way."

Kenshin and Kaoru both laughed at that.

By the end of the evening they had enough posters for every location they had selected earlier that day. The crowning piece was a large sheet with just the name of the dojo writ large along with the phrase 'The sword that protects', which Kaoru had explained was the creed of her school, accompanied by an incredibly accurate ink rendition of Kaoru herself wielding a wooden sword and looking maybe a bit fiercer than she actually did. Kaito was rather proud of that one and he'd gotten Shinichi to take a picture of it being held up by Kaoru the original. The girl herself was rather taken with the picture too.

/Now you just have to make sure you have your contact information on all the posters and you're set,/ he announced in cheery yellow beads.

The following day was spent running all over the city in two groups to put up the posters. Some venues were more easy to convince than others, but in the end most people were fairly open to the idea of letting Kaoru's dojo advertise on their walls. They seemed to find the whole matter amusing—that or not care one way or the other. The biggest poster went up outside a restaurant called the Akabeko which their hosts apparently frequented.

Kaito's voice had also come back by the end of the day. He celebrated the full recovery of his voice by carrying on an hour long conversation with himself as Kenshin, Kaoru, and Yahko, much to the three's amazement.

It was, all in all, a good day's work.

X

"All our posters and stuff were taken down!" Yahiko shouted as he came bursting into the dojo. The boy looked absolutely livid as he brandished a torn scrap of paper in the air. "This was all that was left!"

Shinichi looked around from where he and Kaito had been hanging up wet laundry. "Do you know who took them down?"

"They told me at the Akabeko that it was some students from the Koten Dojo. Apparently they saw the posters when they were passing by and decided they'd do something about it." Yahiko scowled angrily.

"But we put so much effort into those!" Kaoru exclaimed, coming out from inside with a broom in her hand and an upset gleam in her eyes.

"I know," Yahiko agreed. "It's not fair!"

Kaito hung the last piece of laundry on the line and went to join them on the porch followed by Shinichi. "It seems to me we need a more direct approach."

"But we've already tried going and talking to people," Kaoru pointed out.

"How about a demonstration?"

Everyone turned to look at him and Shinichi ducked his head a bit sheepishly. "I have a friend back home who practices martial arts. I remember her dojo putting on demonstrations now and then to show people what they did."

"You could maybe even offer sample classes," Kaito added, nodding thoughtfully. "Give them a taste of what they'd be getting into."

Kaoru and Yahiko traded glances before the former smiled. "That actually sounds like it could be worth trying. We should go right away! Let me just go tell Kenshin."

You had to give it to them, Kaito thought. They sure could move fast. It only took them an hour to find a nice open place to do the demonstration. He himself handled the verbal part of the show, but he had to admit that Kaoru and Yahiko put on a great performance. By the end of it they had gathered a sizable crowd and Shinichi and Kenshin, who'd been assigned the task of manning the sign-ups, had their hands full. The rest of them eventually had to chip in. Over half their students were young girls. Apparently the Koten Dojo didn't teach girls—a discovery that made Kaoru sniff in distaste.

The last person to sign up however was a boy about Yahiko's age who approached them a bit nervously.

"I'm Himatori Kazu," he said, bowing low. "I—I was hoping I could become a student at your dojo."

Kaoru beamed. "Of course! Would you like to attend the first or second class?"

The boy looked down uncomfortably and shuffled his feet. "Uh, you see… The problem is my work schedule can be a bit weird so I, uh, might not be able to make the more routine class times… I asked about that at the Koten Dojo but they said I'd either have to try and make time or just not go because it would be pointless if I missed too many classes."

"Oh, well, that's all right. I'm sure we can find a time that works for you. Maybe you can practice with Yahiko since he's always around. How about it?"

Relief washed over the boy's face and he bowed again. "Thank you!"

"Maybe we should consider going into advertising when we get home," Kaito joked as they headed back to the dojo.

Shinichi chuckled. "I'd say you do enough of that as it is."

"Hmm, I guess I do, don't I? And I do a great job too, if I do say so myself."

X

Life at the dojo got a lot livelier after that. Each of the two classes Kaoru had set up met twice a week. As for Kazu, he showed up almost every day whenever he could get the time off work. It gave Yahiko a partner to practice with since the boy apparently had some prior experience.

"Hey, you're pretty good," Yahiko commented as he blocked another of the new student's attacks.

The other boy grinned sheepishly and rubbed at the back of his neck. "You really think so?"

"Not as good as me of course," the spiky-haired boy boasted then grinned. "But you should really keep at it."

"Thanks. So…can I really keep coming here then?"

"Don't see why not. As long as you don't mind Kaoru."

"Oh no, she seems really nice."

"Nice?" Yahiko repeated incredulously. "Are you kidding? She's not nice at all!"

Kazu laughed. "No really, she is. You're lucky to have such a nice sister."

Yahiko made a disgusted face. "She's not my sister!"

"Friend then." Seeing that Yahiko was still grimacing, Kazu hurried to find a different subject. "So when do we learn how to use real swords?"

Yahiko shook his head. "The Kamiya Dojo doesn't do real swords."

"Really? But what about that man? The one with the scar?"

"Oh that's Kenshin."

"He's carrying a real sword…"

"That's because he's a master. And he's not a student anyway." Laying aside his shinai, Yahiko poured two cups of water from the pitcher that had been set on the side of the dojo and offered one to his practice partner, wondering when Kaoru was going to get back. "So why do you want to learn how to use a sword?"

Kazu took the cup with a grateful smile. "Well, you see, my parents were both killed during the war." He looked down into his cup, gaze growing sad. "I…always thought that if they'd known how to defend themselves they might have stood a better chance. I don't ever want to be helpless like that. So I tried practicing with my grandfather's sword, but I wasn't getting anywhere by myself. But I couldn't find anyone to teach me until I found you guys."

"Oh. I'm…sorry to hear that," Yahiko said a bit awkwardly. He was rather glad when Kaoru chose that moment to come back into the dojo.

"It's nice to see things are turning up for them," Kaito remarked, watching the two sparring boys through the dojo's open doors. "Too bad we can't really say the same for us."

Shinichi sighed, gently coaxing Aome to eat a piece of bread. Her appetite had become all but nonexistent lately but though they didn't know if she had to eat normal food or not they didn't know for sure that she didn't either. So they tried to make sure she ate at least a little bit every day even when she didn't want to.

"I think we need to find her a vet who knows something about magic," he said finally, picking up another little piece of bread. "She hasn't improved at all these last few days…"

"Yeah, but we're not finding one anywhere around here. And we can't move on until we have our gem."

Shinichi shook his head slowly, biting back another sigh. "Our only chance now would be to trip over it."

"Maybe we should put out an ad for _that_," Kaito said jokingly before growing serious again. "We could try carrying her around the city and just letting her point the way."

"We could try that." Shinichi lifted Aome up to eye level and waited for her to look at him. "Do you think you could handle that?"

She tilted her head to one side for a moment then cooed softly, puffing out her chest in determination.

"Guess we'll start later today then," Kaito declared, coming back to sit beside Shinichi and picking up another bit of bread. "As soon as you finish these."

Aome fluffed out her feathers and shuffled around in Shinichi's hands but eventually accepted the bread.

X

The sound of frantically running feet approaching the dojo announced Kazu's arrival earlier than he had been scheduled for. A moment later he came charging into the dojo where he skidded to a stop.

"Is it true?" he demanded. He was shaking,, his shinai clutched in one quivering hand. Every line of his stance spoke of tightly wound energy.

Yahiko, Kaito, Shinichi, and all the doves they'd been feeding turned to stare at him

Yahiko stood up, frowning. "Hey, are you okay?"

"_Is it true_?" Kazu reiterated, ignoring the question and taking a furious step forward like someone on the verge of snapping. Kaito and Shinichi traded glances behind Yahiko's back before they both stood. The magician made a gesture and all the doves took off, soaring out of the dojo to find new perches on the roof. Only Aome stayed, huddled up against the side of Shinichi's neck.

"Is what true?" Yahiko was asking, starting to sound exasperated.

"They—they said that Mister Himura is the Battousai!"

Yahiko paused then scowled. "So what?"

"So what? My father was an official in Kyoto during the war! My parents were both killed by his people! He should be turned in to the police! Not going around like he's a normal person!"

"The police already know he lives here Kazu," Yahiko said grimly, voice quiet. This was obviously a subject he was used to dealing with. "In case you didn't know, some of 'em fought beside him before too. And besides, Kenshin's sworn never to kill again. He's a good person."

"A good person?" The other's voice was rising with mixed incredulity and outrage. With a jerk he hurled his shinai across the room. "If that's what you call a good person, then I don't want anything to do with any of you again!" That said he whirled on his heels and stormed out, leaving a ringing silence in his wake.

"That could have gone better," Kaito commented as Yahiko sat back down, still looking a bit grim.

"Yeah, well, considering Kenshin really was Battousai the Manslayer, I guess it's only to be expected. People usually calm down about it after a while though." He let out a long breath, brooding gaze looking at something only he could see. "I mean, Kenshin's a really nice guy, whatever they say. And, I mean, that was during the revolution. Everyone was fighting back then. Things are different now. I just wish people would remember that before they start pointing fingers."

Shinichi shared a look with Kaito before the magician whistled for the doves to come back inside.

X

Another day of carrying Aome through the city streets and still no luck. The little bird kept falling asleep and neither Shinichi or Kaito liked having to wake her time and time again even though they knew they had to. Now they were walking along the river bank, following their feathery guide's last coherent direction.

Shinichi glanced into the running water, watching the way the sunset danced over the rippling waters and turned it red like blood—and a certain man's hair. It was odd knowing that a person that nice had apparently once been an assassin. But it was also a relief in a way because it showed that people really could change for the better.

"I keep forgetting that we're living here in the aftermath of a war," he mused aloud. "It's so peaceful here."

"Probably because the war's over," Kaito chuckled. "It's one or the other after all."

Shinichi shook his head. "Only in a manner of speaking. There are many degrees of separation between peace and open war."

"I suppose that's true," Kaito concurred, watching the detective's expression out of the corner of his eye. It was probably particularly true for Shinichi who saw people dropping dead on a regular basis. He was so preoccupied with observing his companion that he actually jumped when Aome let out a loud screech right next to his ear and whacked him in the side of the face with a wing.

"Ow! Hey!" he protested, stopping in his tracks and reaching up to pry the dove off his shoulder. She quieted almost instantly. Settling into a fluffy, white ball, she looked up at him with soulful blue eyes. He frowned back, unmoved. "What's gotten into you?"

She cooed pitiably.

He sighed. "So now you're freaking out for no reason too?"

She pecked him.

"Oi, that's not helping your case young lady!"

"Kaito," Shinichi called. "I think she was trying to make sure we didn't walk right over this."

The magician glanced around to find his companion holding up a mud covered stone. Despite the thick, brown coating it had acquired, his keen eyes caught a spark of green. Setting Aome back on his shoulder, he conjured a handkerchief and handed it to Shinichi who began cleaning the mud off the stone.

"It…looks kind of like a human eye," the detective observed, turning the stone over in his hands and feeling a little creeped out despite himself.

"Don't think too hard about it," Kaito advised, hiding a smile. "That could mean anything."

"I guess that means we should leave tomorrow. See if there's anyone in the next world that can help us with Aome."

The magician nodded, gently stroking the bird in question and murmuring an apology for yelling earlier. She cooed sleepily, shivering a little. It cast a shade of worry over his eyes as he checked to make sure she was secure in her perch on his shoulder and wouldn't fall off on their way back to the Kamiya Dojo.

The rest of the walk was a peaceful one as they both enjoyed the tranquility of the evening. They had no idea what was coming next, so they had to enjoy this peace while they could.

The sight that greeted them as they walked through the gates of the dojo was, however, anything but peaceful. Kazu was sitting hunched over on the porch beside Kenshin, who had a hand on one of the boy's shaking shoulders and a solemn expression on his face. Yahiko was standing over them, arms crossed and scowling fiercely. Behind them all was Kaoru, her own gaze torn between anxiety, uncertainty, and sorrow.

"What's going on?" Kaito asked, looking over the depressing tableau with raised eyebrows.

Yahiko glanced over at him and Shinichi before jabbing a finger at the sobbing boy on the porch. "This idiot somehow got it into his head to attack us when Kenshin and I were coming back from getting the groceries. Thought he was _executing justice_ or something dumb like that."

"But you're all okay?" Shinichi inquired, looking the four over again just to be sure.

Yahiko rolled his eyes. "Duh. Some beginner lugging around his grandpa's old sword's not gonna give me any trouble, let alone Kenshin." He turned his glare back on Kazu. "What I don't get is why he had to go and listen to those guys down at the other dojo."

"So they _were_ the ones who were talking to him about Kenshin's past. I thought they might have been."

"Apparently they kept going at him for taking classes here and associating with us when he knew. Kept saying decent people would do somehtin' about it or something," the boy scoffed. "And this dolt went and _listened_ to them. I mean, how stupid can you get?"

"Yahiko," Kenshin cut in, turning stern eyes on the boy. "Words can be powerful things, as we have seen today. Do not go throwing them so carelessly."

Yahiko raised his chin defiantly. "Hey, I'm just telling it like it is."

"The important thing is that no one got hurt," Kaoru said softly, looking down. "Kazu's already apologized so you shouldn't be so hard on him."

Yahiko let out a 'hmph' but refrained from making further comments.

"I will have a word with the master of the Koten Dojo tomorrow. He should be made aware of his students' behavior. For now however I believe we all deserve a good rest."

Everyone agreed and headed inside. Kazu was directed to a guest room for the night and he went without a word, never once raising his eyes from his feet. Feeling that it wasn't a good time to bring up their departure, Kaito and Shinichi retired to bed without mentioning it.

"I have to say, that was not how I expected our second to last day to end," the magician mused, staring up at the ceiling.

Shinichi sighed. "Yeah…"

"Care to share what's on your mind?"

"It's just…I keep thinking about how they all just…forgave him, I guess."

"Do you think they shouldn't have?"

"No, it's not that. He was confused and being provoked. And I really do think he's learned better and isn't going to do something like this again, so it's a good thing they're giving him a second chance."

"I'm hearing a 'but' somewhere in there."

"Maybe it's just how easily they took everything," Shinichi said finally, letting his breath out in a long sigh. "Even if he wasn't much of a threat to them skill wise, it's just…they acted like this kind of thing happens all the time. It's…weird to think that someone wanting to kill someone else and actually trying might have been normal once."

"True," the magician agreed, folding his hands behind his head. "I think I can understand it though. To some people it probably seems like there's no other way they can find justice. I'm sure you've seen it back home too, right?"

"That's true."

"Some people can't just call up the police and tell them, for example, that so and so was assassinated during the revolution and expect the police to do anything about it. Sometimes you have to take matters into your own hands because yours are the only hands that can do it, even if what you do is just to point a finger in the right direction."

Shinichi turned the words over in his mind, noting the way the magician's tone had shifted to become almost reflective, and suddenly it clicked. "Is that what you've been doing? The show, it isn't just for fun."

Kaito blinked for a moment in surprise then nodded even though he knew Shinichi couldn't see him. "Yeah. Though he's been gone since you grew up again," he added, cracking a grin. "So it's really for the fun now." And he wondered idly when he'd stopped thinking about Shinichi as a detective he didn't mind spending time with and started thinking about him as a friend who just happened to be a detective. He'd found himself referring to the other less as Tantei-kun these days and more often as Shinichi. He didn't remember making the decision. He was usually much more careful than that.

"Hey Shinichi," he said abruptly, turning towards his companion in the dark. By now his eyes had adjusted to the lack of light so that he could see fairly clearly.

"Hm?" came the slightly drowsy response.

"Do you still want to arrest me?"

"…What?"

"Come on, it's a yes-no question. Can't be that hard."

Shinichi was quiet for so long that Kaito was beginning to think he wasn't going to answer or had fallen asleep when he finally spoke. Only he mumbled whatever he was saying and it sounded not so much like words as a collection of muted 'mph's.

The magician's eyebrows rose. "What did you say? I can't hear you if you're talking into the pillow you know."

Sighing, Shinichi turned his head just enough to free his mouth. "No."

That said he turned his face back into the pillow, determined to go to sleep. He could feel Kaito still watching him, but he didn't turn around. It wasn't exactly that it was a hard admission to make. If anything it was surprisingly easy. He'd stopped really wanting to arrest KID a long time ago, just thwart his plans—test his own skills. The thief was, after all, basically harmless as far as criminals went. The only thing he regularly damaged was people's pride. And, well, Kaito was a good person. He knew that much by now. It didn't mean he approved of the stealing though. It just…didn't seem all that important anymore in the grand scheme of things.

Kaito watched the detective studiously ignore him with his chin propped in his palm. He couldn't seem to stop smiling (not that he was trying particularly hard), though he did manage to suppress the urge to reach over and mess up that unnaturally (in his opinion) neat hair. Shinichi had answered his question after all so it was only fair (he made a mental note to do it some other time, preferably with a camera in hand).

X

They arrived at breakfast the next morning to find both Kenshin and Kazu missing. The former returned when they were almost done eating.

"So how did it go?" Kaoru asked anxiously.

Kenshin smiled, taking a seat with the rest of them. "It went well. The students who were teasing Kazu apologized and their master has promised it will not happen again. They seemed honestly shocked to find out what had happened. I do not believe they intended things to go so far. Hopefully now they will think more carefully about their actions."

"And Kazu?" Shinichi asked.

"He went home. I believe he needs a little more time to sort things out, but he'll be fine."

"That's good," Kaoru sighed.

"Yeah," Yahiko agreed. "But they're still creeps."

"Now, now, Yahiko," Kenshin admonished, smiling faintly. "Everyone deserves a second chance."

"Hn."

"It's good to hear that's all sorted out," Kaito remarked. "I guess that means we can leave without feeling guilty about abandoning you guys in the middle of all that trouble."

"You're leaving?" Yahiko exclaimed, turning to face them.

Shinichi nodded. "We really do have to get going. We still have a long way to travel."

"Oh, I see." Kaoru nodded then smiled the smile of one bidding good friends farewell. It was the kind of smile that really made a person feel warm inside. "Well, I hope you guys have a safe journey. And thank you for all your help."

**TBC**

* * *

**Next**: Those Things Most Valued [XXXHolic]

**A.N**: I'll say now, I'm not really familiar with CLAMP work, having only watched one and a half of them. I remember finding XXXHolic rather amusing though and it seems like a good place to get things moving more since my sister's complaining that I'm moving this story on too slowly and I kind of agree with her. I'm going to have to do some review and research for it first though—and probably consult my sister who's more familiar with it than I am. Anyhow, I hope you enjoyed reading, and a huge thank you to everyone who's stuck with me!

**P.S**: For anyone who would have liked to see more of the FMA characters, AngelWingsOnline has written a nice, long alternate ending type story where the boys actually go to Central. You should swing by if you like FMA (I do, and it was definitely fun seeing them meet people like Armstrong, hehe). It's called "A Journey's Detour" and was posted a few days ago.


	7. Those Things Most Valued

A.N: It's finally done! Anyhow, this world always felt kind of quiet to me so this wound up being largely informational in my opinion. Ah well… I also kind of argued a little with my sister over the characters. Apparently our views on the XXXHolic characters differs. I don't read the fandom so I don't know how other people see them, but this runs on my personal take. Sorry if it doesn't match your ideas Sis, but it's just the way I see them. Please stop bugging me about it. Thanks.

Disclaimer: I don't own DCMK or XXXHolic.

* * *

7: Those Things Most Valued

(World 7: XXXHolic)

If it hadn't been for the fact that the clerk in the bookstore had never heard of Kudo Yuusaku and laughed at the idea of phantom thieves, Shinichi could have believed they'd landed somewhere in their own Japan. So far everything looked ordinary enough. The technology was fairly standard stuff he'd expect to see back home and there were no monsters anywhere. The people too all looked and acted the same. And yet…the longer he walked through these bustling city streets the more he began to feel like something was off. Not wrong necessarily, just…different. It was something in the air—a difference in the atmosphere he couldn't put his finger on. There were moments when he found himself turning around quickly because he thought he'd seen something out of the corner of his eye, but there was never anything there.

Great, now he was imagining things to put himself on edge.

Pushing the unsettling feeling aside, he turned his attention back to the present. Technically, he should be looking for Kaito, but running around in circles in a crowded city looking for one person didn't make a lot of sense to him. Aome was with Kaito after all, and even if she wasn't feeling well she could probably still point the magician in his general direction (and even if she couldn't, Kaito was had his glider and could cover more ground quickly than he could on foot). The next order of business was the ever present money issue.

He thought a bit wryly that he was going to have one hell of a weird resume by the time they got home.

He had just made up his mind to go look at the newspapers in the grocery store he could see across the street to see what was in the adds when his eyes landed on a stranger (funny, had he been there a moment ago?) who immediately set off the 'something wrong' alert that had developed in him from years of detective work. The man was probably in his mid twenties. He sat on the curb with his shoulders slumped and his head down. The fingers of both his hands were buried in his hair, gripping the short, black locks as though about to tear them right out of his head.

Shinichi glanced quickly up and down the street to check and make sure there weren't any cars coming then crouched down beside the visibly distraught stranger.

"Excuse me," he said, "it's dangerous to sit here."

There was no response.

"Sir?"

Still nothing.

Frowning, Shinichi reached out and tapped the man on the shoulder. A soft tingle ran up his arm (had he imagined it?). This time the man started and looked up at him, giving Shinichi a clear view of the dark circles under his eyes. It took the man a moment to focus on him before he blinked slowly in confusion.

"wha…?"

"You shouldn't sit here," Shinichi explained again, gesturing towards the street. "It could be dangerous. Can you stand? Do you need help?"

"I…oh, uh, that's all right," the man mumbled, shuffling around and slowly dragging himself to his feet. Once he was upright he swayed dangerously and Shinichi had to grab his arm to keep him from toppling over.

"Whoa, careful there." How long had it been since the man had slept? If ever there was someone who actually looked dead on his feet, it was this man. "You should really go home and get some sleep, Sir."

"How—no, no, I can't." The man's expression grew more alert as he straightened for a brief moment before his shoulders sagged again. "Oh who am I kidding? It's not like I'm getting anywhere…" He trailed off into an agitated mumbling as his eyes flickered from side to side looking at something only he could see.

Shinichi watched him for a moment longer before clearing his throat to catch the man's attention. "Do you want to talk about it?"

The mumbling stopped and the stranger looked up again in a manner that suggested he'd only just remembered that he wasn't alone. "Huh?"

"Sometimes having someone to talk to about a problem can make it feel less difficult," Shinichi explained. "And you never know, I might be able to help." That and he didn't think the man should be left alone in his current state. He was far too detached from his surroundings to be wandering around busy city streets.

The stranger looked at him uncertainly for a long moment before eventually releasing a heavy sigh. "I suppose it would be kind of nice to be able to tell someone about it…" He sounded like he didn't believe it for a moment but was willing to grasp at a straw even if it was a straw made out of smoke.

"Why don't we sit down?" Shinichi suggested, steering the stranger to one of the empty tables outside a café a few shops down the street. More alert or not, the guy still looked ready to keel over.

Once they were sated, the stranger propped his arms on the table and stared down at its mesh-patterned surface. "My name is Hirota Kentarou and I was going to get married in six months."

"So what changed?" Shinichi prompted when he fell silent.

Hirota sank even lower in his seat. "It's just that…we went to tell her mother a week ago… I—guess I didn't make a very good impression or something. She said she wanted me to bring her—d" he paused, brows furrowing in concentration as he recited, "—a paper bag of fire, a chicken that never had feet, a container of water that was never filled or opened, and a straw to hold the sun. If I don't bring them to her by the end of the time she gave me then she won't let Yuriko marry me. Yuriko really loves her mother, and I don't want to make her have to choose between us or anything. So I said I'd do it, but—I just can't figure out what any of this stuff is supposed to be and today's the last day I have…"

"But that means you still have time."

An odd smile flitted across the man's face before he shook his head. "Even if… But regardless, at the rate I'm going, a million years won't be long enough."

Shinichi sat back in his chair and turned the words of the prospective mother-in-law's list over in his mind then smiled. "If you still have time, then there's always a chance. In fact, I'm pretty sure I can help you. The—"

"No! Stop!" the man exclaimed, frantically flinging up his hands as though he could physically ward off the words as his entire body snapped straight despite his weariness. "It's my task; I have to do it myself."

Shinichi studied the man's panicked face for a moment then sighed. "Did she say you couldn't ask for help?"

Hirota paused at that, his hands lowering as he thought. "Well, no, but it's obviously a test for me. She already doesn't like me. Getting help would be like cheating. It could only make things worse."

"You could put it that way," Shinichi said slowly. "But you know, knowing when to ask for help is also a skill." It wasn't something he was terribly good at himself, but two years running around after criminals as an elementary school kid had taught him the truth of it. In some ways, he supposed, learning when and how to ask for help was a great deal harder than doing everything yourself. "Think about it this way, if there were two people who had a problem. Like you, they have both tried their best to solve it themselves, but neither have had any luck. One of them insists on continuing to work alone but he fails to solve it in time for the solution to be helpful. The other decides that he needs another opinion and asks someone else for help and they solve the problem together. Who would you think was wiser?"

"Well, I…" Trailing off, Hirota remained silent for a long time just staring hard at the tabletop. He was quiet for so long that Shinichi was beginning to wonder if he'd fallen asleep when he finally opened his mouth. "I…guess you're right." Tearing his eyes from their vigilant scrutiny of the table, he met Shinichi's gaze. "If you could, I would appreciate it if you would help me."

X

It had to be either irony or luck—probably a little bit of both, Kaito mused. After all, what were the chances that he'd wind up in a park where the main entertainment was apparently bird feeding? There were pigeons everywhere. They picked about the grounds, waddled over picnic tables, and all 'round ruled over the premises. The sight might even have been considered frightening by some. To the children who ran around with bags of bread crumbs to feed them however it was clearly unparalleled.

As it was, Kaito had decided to let his own birds have a little fly around. They were more than happy to join their feathery brethren and be fed bits of bread by the children and their parents. Only Aome showed no interest in doing anything other than doze on Kaito's shoulder.

Deciding it was probably best to let her rest a little longer, he found himself a seat on one of the benches not currently occupied by pigeons. From here he could keep an eye on his doves as well as the entrance to the park beyond which he could see the occasional car drive by. It was a little bizarre to be back in a modern world again after their last few adventures. It made them feel like dreams even though he knew they had been just as real as this place.

Snapping his fingers, he made the wizards' box appear and took a quick inventory. Shinichi would probably want to restock while they were here and they needed to know what they still had. He had just finished making the last of it disappear back into the box when someone cleared their throat beside the park bench.

"Excuse me."

Vanishing the box, Kaito glanced up to see a teenager with dark hair and a placid expression watching him. "Yes?"

"Are you the magician?" the stranger asked.

"I am _a_ magician," Kaito replied, studying the stranger carefully from behind his Poker Face. "Can I help you?"

"I'm supposed to find the magician who just arrived here. If that's you, then there is someone who wants to see you."

"You mean…someone actually _sent_ you here to meet me?" Kaito asked, not quite sure whether to believe it or not. But there wasn't any reason for a total stranger to lie about such a thing. "Would you mind if I asked who and why?"

"Yuuko. She said you would like to talk to her."

Kaito raised an eyebrow. "I would?"

The stranger shrugged. "That's what she said."

"I see. Well then…" Getting to his feet, Kaito whistled. Instantly all his doves withdrew themselves from the pigeon feeding frenzy and flew to him whereupon they vanished. (the stranger didn't so much as bat an eye, he noted). "Let's go see this woman I would like to talk to. I must say, I am curious to know where she gets her information from."

X

Hirota looked up at the convenience store feeling a bit bemused and maybe a touch doubtful. Well, it wasn't as though he had any ideas of his own left. He might as well see what the blue-eyed teen had come up with. He seemed so sure about it all that it gave Hirota a renewed sense of hope.

"Does your girlfriend's mother happen to be a vegetarian? Or vegan?"

Hirota blinked, dragging his thoughts back to the present, then frowned. "I—think she might be. I do seem to recall Yuriko saying that her mother didn't eat meat though she never went into any detail about it… But what does that have to do with anything?" he asked, trailing after Shinichi as the detective snagged a cart and set off into the convenience store with the gait of the purposeful.

"It makes it very likely that this is one of the items on your list," Shinichi explained, stopping by one humming shelf and picking up a plastic package to show the bewildered man accompanying him.

"What is this?"

"Faux chicken." Seeing the blank look on the man's face, Shinichi clarified. "It's a chicken substitute and since it's not made out of meat it's never had feet."

"Oh, I see." Hirota's expression brightened as he took another look at the package. "You know, I never knew this kind of thing existed. But I guess I've always been more of the 'eat whatever is nearby' kind of person."

"I'm sure you're not the only one," Shinichi replied, laughing a little as he dropped the package into the shopping cart. "You should be familiar with the third item on your list though."

The man looked honestly surprised. "I should?"

Shinichi nodded. "Why don't you take another look at it?"

"I guess…" Hirota took the folded list he had received days ago and unfolded it for the thousandth time to gaze down at penciled words that were beginning to disappear from the constant crinkling and smoothing out they had endured. He'd already memorized every word however and he would probably have seen them as they had been even if they were to be completely erased. "So…are you saying this container of water is also here in the grocery store?"

"Yes."

"But the only water they have here is bottled…" He trailed off, frown deepening before he let out a frustrated sigh and rubbed a tired hand across his eyes. "But what am I thinking? Those would have had to be filled anyway, so it can't be them…"

"Think about it this way, if it was never filled and never opened, then how did the water get inside?"

"It…must have already been there…?"

"Exactly."

"But how is that possible? The water must have got in _somehow_. You can't make something that's full of water without putting the water in at some point."

"Yeah," Shinichi agreed, "but what if it wasn't made?"

Hirota's brows furrowed. "What? You mean like it just grew that way or something?" There was a beat of silence before his eyes lit up. "Like a coconut or an orange! They're mostly liquid inside." Then he frowned again. "But then how do I know which one she wants? And I guess it could also be something like an egg…"

"Well, this part of the note _is_ the only part written in English," Shinichi pointed out. "You recited it that way when you told me about it earlier too so I'm sure you noticed. From what you've told me about this woman, I'm guessing that's not an accident. The clue could be in the language."

"Meaning it is, right?" Laughing a little, the man turned back to studying the crumpled note in his hands. "Well, it shouldn't be about filling or opening since those are both things people have to do… the only nouns in here are container and water… Container…water… But when you call something a container it's usually manmade…but the word is obviously an analogy of some kind…?" He glanced up from his reading at Shinichi but the detective only nodded, indicating that he should continue. "So that leaves water… Something relating to language that has to do with water…"

"You could walk around and see if anything strikes a bell," Shinichi suggested.

Hirota nodded, eyes immediately going to the surrounding displays. He hadn't exactly excelled in English back in school, but he hadn't been horrible at it either, and as his eyes paused on each item he searched his memory for its English name.

When he saw them he couldn't hold back the burst of laughter. It was so simple! How had he not thought of it before?

Shinichi started as his companion erupted into a laugh and sprinted past him. He'd barely turned around when the man was back again, cradling in his arms a large, oblong fruit patterned with pale and dark green stripes.

"It's this, right?" the man asked, taping the watermelon in his arms.

His excitement was contagious, Shinichi thought, half expecting Kaito to make some kind of comment on the matter before he remembered that Kaito wasn't there at the moment. It was actually kind of weird.

Hirota leaned over the cart and carefully set the melon inside. "Are the other two items in the store too?"

"The first one I'm not sure about, but I'm pretty certain I saw…" Trailing off, Shinichi turned to scan the store. The grocery section of the store was set to the front right of the store and he could see all the way to the front doors pretty clearly from where he was standing. There! He knew he'd seen them on his way in. Gesturing for Hirota to follow, he made a beeline for the hat stands by the shop door. Once there he picked up a few different straw hats and turned back to his companion.

"You should probably pick the one you think she'll like."

Hirota blinked at the hats for a second before laughing. He studied the hat selection before taking the one that had a sunflower attached to its ribbon and laying it beside the watermelon. The remaining hats were returned to their assorted perches on the hat stands.

For a long moment Hirota looked down at the three items in the shopping cart with a much happier expression that took a lot of the weariness that had been so clearly weighing him down before out of his face. Then he looked up at Shinichi with a smile that the detective was a little puzzled to notice was touched with a hint of sadness.

"I think I might know what the last one is now," he said. "I was thinking about these three," he waved at the cart, "and, well, I tried thinking about the way every line's been some kind of analogy type riddle. So I was thinking about when fire, or something like fire, would be wrapped in paper. And, well—it's a paper lantern, right?"

Shinichi smiled and nodded. "I believe so. I'm not sure if they sell them here though."

"They do. There's a small furniture section in the back. They always have lanterns there." He glanced out of the shop window and frowned slightly. Then his gaze dropped to his watch before he fumbled through his pockets and came up with a rather battered looking wallet. Riffling through it, he hurriedly extracted several bills and turned to Shinichi. "Um, I'm sorry but could you take these to the checkout lines while I go get the lantern?"

Seeing no reason to refuse, Shinichi nodded and accepted the bills. A strange tingle went through his fingers as they came in contact with the paper but it passed so quickly that it could have been his imagination. Taking the shopping cart by the handlebar, he pushed it towards the checkout lines as Hirota disappeared towards the back of the shop.

The lines were short today and moving quickly. The woman in line before him took her last bag and started to walk away but there was still no sign of Hirota.

"Do you want to buy that or not?" the cashier asked impatiently as Shinichi scanned the area again.

"I do—I do, sorry," he said quickly, reaching into the cart and beginning to place the items inside on the counter. It was at that moment that he noticed a small, red, paper lantern sitting in the back corner where it had formerly been hidden by the watermelon. He stared at it for a moment before picking it up and adding it to the assortment to be rung up. That was odd… He hadn't seen Hirota bringing the lantern, but he was also sure it hadn't been there earlier. And why hadn't the man said anything? Come to think of it, why hadn't he stayed after bringing the lantern? This was his stuff after all.

Shaking his head, he scooped up the change, thanked the cashier, and tucked the watermelon under one arm before taking the remaining bag with his free hand. Stepping out of the way of the next customer, he finally spotted Hirota hovering anxiously near the convenience store doors.

"Hirota-san!" he called as he came within earshot of the man. Hirota's head jerked around in his direction as his expression grew relieved. "Here's your change."

"Oh—uh, thank you." The man took the coins and stuffed them into a random pocket as he and Shinichi stepped back out on the city street. Once they were outside, Shinichi offered the bag and melon to Hirota but the man's expression fell suddenly. He made no move to take either.

"I…I can't. I—I'm so late and I just…"

"Night hasn't fallen yet Hirota-san," he reasoned. "If your deadline was today then you still have time."

"You don't' understand. It's not that…" Hirota's eyes grew distant for a moment before he looked back at Shinichi. "Could…could you…take it to her?"

The detective's brows furrowed. This wasn't making any sense. "Why?"

"It's just—I can't…"

"We'll take it there for you," a new voice said before Shinichi could ask any more.

Both of them looked around to see a gangly, dark haired teen standing a few steps behind Shinichi. He walked up beside the detective and took the bag Shinichi had still been holding out to Hirota. His gaze never left the man in question as he offered what looked to Shinichi like a reassuring smile.

"You don't have to worry."

A relieved smile broke out across Hirota's face as the last of the anxiety drained from it like clouds lifting. "Thank you." And even as the words left his mouth the man's body began to fade. Shinichi stared in shock but the newcomer didn't seem surprised at all. "She lives in the yellow house on the corner by the park near here. And please…tell her…tell her that I'm sorry I couldn't make it," Hirota's voice added, sounding as though it was coming from a long way away. Then there was nothing left at all.

A handful of change clattered to the ground. The stranger gathered the coins and put them into the shopping bag.

"I guess we should probably take these over there now," the stranger said, turning to face Shinichi for the first time since he'd arrived.

Shinichi took one more look at the empty space where Hirota had been then fell into step beside the stranger. "Could you…explain what happened back there?" he asked a little hesitantly. "That man… I take it he wasn't—wasn't human…?"

His companion seemed momentarily taken aback by this. "Oh, no, he was still human. He just hadn't passed on yet." His eyes grew a little sad as he glanced down at the bag he was carrying. "I'm guessing he was waiting for someone to help him deliver these."

Shinichi felt his own stomach twist at the implication but he pushed it back in favor of finding answers. "You mean he was a ghost?"

"Yeah… You didn't know?" he asked curiously. "Haven't you seen one before?"

"Not any real ones," Shinichi replied, shaking his head. "Are they common around here?"

"I wouldn't really say they're common," the other replied. "Though it can be kind of hard to tell sometimes unless it's obvious that most everyone else isn't seeing them."

Shinichi nodded thoughtfully but any further conversation was interrupted as they arrived at what appeared to be their destination. It was the only yellow house in the immediate area and they could both clearly see the entrance to the local park across the street. There was no doorbell so they had to knock. A few moments later a woman answered the door.

"Can I help you?" she asked politely as she looked them over with curious eyes.

"I'm Watanuki Kimihiro," Shinichi's companion introduced himself.

"And my name is Kudo Shinichi," Shinichi added, shifting the watermelon in his arms for a better grip as he examined the woman. She seemed to be about the same age as Hirota-san, give or take a year, but there were faint circles under her eyes which were slightly red as though she'd been crying a lot lately. They made her look older and rather worn out. "We're looking for a Miss Yuriko?"

"That would be me."

"We met someone who wanted us to give you this," the other teen explained, holding out the bag he'd been carrying. "He wanted us to tell you that he was sorry he couldn't make it. He wanted to."

The woman took the bag hesitantly and gestured for Shinichi to place the watermelon on the floor inside the door before peering inside it. As they watched her expression morphed into one of shock before her face grew pale. Tearing her gaze from the contents of the bag, she fixed them with a look that was pained and yet almost hopeful.

"The—the man who sent you, is he…?"

Watanuki shook his head and looked down. "No, I'm sorry.

Her face fell and Shinichi's stomach twisted a little at the confusion and renewed grief he saw there. "But…then when…?"

"It took some time to get everything," he said, hoping it would explain at least a little to her peace of mind.

"Oh…I see…" Yuriko straightened after a moment, visibly pulling herself together, and offered the two teens a wan but genuine smile. "Thank you."

There was a slightly awkward moment of silence before she thanked them again and bid them goodbye before retreating back into her house with the bag clutched tightly in her hands. The two boys stood a few seconds longer in front of the closed door before Shinichi turned to his companion.

"So…is that all?" he asked a bit hesitantly. "Do we have to go back and…uh, tell him…?" Granted he wouldn't know how.

Watanuki shook his head. "I'm sure he already knows." Then he started as his eyes widened. "Ah! I almost forgot I still have to go find that person for Yuuko. Sorry Kudo-san, it was nice meeting you. Bye!" That said he spun on his heels and began running back the way they had come, muttering something to himself about stupid bosses who couldn't just give proper descriptions when asking him to find someone. Shinichi blinked after him, startled by the sudden change of mood. A flutter of motion caught his eye and he reached out automatically to pull the thing out of the air. It turned out to be a poker card with a rather intricately designed back.

"Wait! Watanuki-san, you dropped your card!"

The gangly high schooler skidded to a stop and came hurrying back with a sheepish smile. "It's not actually mine but thanks. If I don't bring it back Yuuko'll probably make me pay for a whole new set."

"Why are you carrying around one poker card?" Shinichi asked curiously.

"Actually I have two. Yuuko said she wanted to meet the person they meant something to."

Shinichi looked again at the card in his hand which he was on the verge of handing over. It was the ace of spades. "Can I see the other card?"

Puzzled, Watanuki shrugged and pulled a second card from his pocket. It was the ace of clubs.

"Did she tell you anything else about the person you were supposed to find?" he asked, staring at the cards.

"Nothing useful," the other teen grumbled, scowling briefly. "She's just like that. All she said was that I'd meet him or her in this area," he waved a hand vaguely at the city around them, "and that he or she would be new here."

"Are you looking for two people? Or just one?"

"Just one."

"I…think maybe you were supposed to find me," the detective said slowly, wondering how that could be possible. But, well…he'd just met a ghost today. That certainly counted for something. And now that he thought about it Kaito had mentioned that Yami and Yugi had come looking for him when they'd landed in the duelists' world. Had they disturbed some kind of worldly balance this time too? He hoped not. He didn't particularly want to be the cause of another monster invasion or something. "I think these cards are supposed to be me and the friend I'm traveling with."

"Really?" It was Watanuki's turn to blink in surprise from behind his glasses. "Well, um, do you have time then?"

"Yes," Shinichi replied. _Lots of it_, he added to himself. "But could we stop by the library for a moment? There's something I want to look up."

"I guess we could," Watanuki replied, sounding more than a little confused.

When they got to the library, Shinichi found the newspaper archives and asked for the papers from the past week. He spent a few minutes flipping through them before he found what he was looking for. There, in the corner of one page, the face of Hirota Kentarou looked back at him accompanied by an article about an unfortunate man who had been hit by a reckless driver late in the evening three days ago. He stared at the article for a long moment, feeling rather odd.

X

The woman seated before him was tall and graceful with long, black hair and an enigmatic smile. Dressed in fiery crimson, she held herself with the casual yet elegant air of someone with a great deal of confidence. In short, Kaito thought, she looked like an interesting person.

"I assume then that you are the Lady Yuuko who wished to see me?" he inquired, his own Poker Face securely in place.

"I am," she agreed amiably.

Kaito waited a moment but the woman didn't elaborate. "May I know why?"

"Because you need to."

The magician raised an eyebrow at that. "Indeed. And how, pray tell, do you know that? I would also appreciate an explanation as to how you knew where and when to send a messenger to find me."

"It was destiny," she replied with an almost dismissive wave of one manicured hand.

"I am sorry my lady, but I do not believe in destiny."

"Is that so?" Yuuko only smiled.

"If everything was predestined, then there would be no point to anything. No need to hope or dream or strive. It would mean all the choices we make are moot for the outcome cannot change." And that was something he couldn't believe. Not only because it was an unpleasant thought but because it went against his nature to give in to such an entrapping world view.

The woman seemed to consider this for a moment before shifting to sit straighter amidst her cushions. "You misunderstand. Destiny is not all encompassing. The future is always a spread of many paths. But nonetheless there are things that are meant to happen and paths that cannot be changed once taken. They are inevitable. Your path led you here because here is where you needed to be."

"And here we are again," Kaito noted, squashing the urge to get annoyed. Man this lady was starting to remind him of Akako—just less sinister and more weird (if that was possible). "You never did answer my question. Why do you insist that I need to be here?"

Yuuko however only lit her pipe. "That is for you to tell me. The fact that you are here at all means you need something from my shop. So tell me, Magician, what is your wish?"

So it was about wishes, was it, he mused. It was such a broad question. Not to mention a rather personal one. Frankly he didn't believe in getting wishes granted—not like that. You were supposed to grant your own wishes. Or at least he thought so. On the other hand, if this woman really did have that kind of power, she might be able to help him and Shinichi with a certain other problem.

He snapped his fingers. A puff of smoke later he was holding the sleeping Aome. She stirred briefly at the disturbance before settling down again.

"I don't know if this falls into your expertise my lady, but if you could cure this bird of mine I would be most grateful."

Yuuko's eyes narrowed as she studied the bird before she nodded slowly. "I see. That is certainly a very interesting problem you have there."

"You can tell what's wrong?"

"I can," she agreed. "And I believe I can help you. But I will require a payment. You do something for me, and I will help you cure your bird friend."

"What kind of something?" Kaito asked warily, indigo eyes narrowing.

"You will fetch something for me."

She paused and Kaito was just beginning to wonder if she was expecting some kind of answer from him when his ears caught the sound of approaching voices. A moment later the door to the room opened and in walked Shinichi and a gangly boy with glasses Kaito didn't recognize.

"Watanuki," Yuuko greeted the stranger. "It certainly took you a rather long time."

"If you wanted me to be faster you could have given me better directions," he complained. "I had to stop and ask everyone I met!"

"Is that all?" Yuuko inquired, sounding a strange mixture of amused and apathetic.

"Well," Watanuki replied, calming just as quickly as he'd erupted before as his gaze softened. "We also met a ghost who needed something delivered."

"Doumeki only took twenty minutes."

He scowled. "He only had to look in the park! I had to search five city blocks!"

Kaito watched the half teasing half bickering back and forth for a few moments longer before turning to Shinichi. The detective had taken a seat next to him and seemed to be lost in thought.

"You met a ghost?" he asked curiously. "A real ghost?"

Shinichi started then nodded, blue eyes darkening a shade. "He died in a traffic accident three days ago."

The magician shook his head, bemused. "Why am I not surprised that he found you with a dead person?"

"At least it wasn't a murder," Shinichi grumbled. "Where did _you_ land?"

"Park. I seem to have an affinity for them."

"How fortunate for you."

"I thought so too."

Yuuko cleared her throat, drawing the two teenagers' attention back to her. Watanuki had retreated to the kitchen, grumbling all the way. "So do you accept?"

Shinichi frowned in confusion, looking from the woman to Kaito. "Accept what?"

"Yuuko-san here says she can help Aome," Kaito explained, expression growing serious. "But she wants us to do something for her in return."

The detective turned back to Yuuko. "Can you really help her?"

Yuuko studied his face for a long moment before smiling faintly. "You have very interesting eyes." She leaned forward and Shinichi leaned away, feeling oddly like a bug under a microscope. "You need only to look you know."

"What?" the detective asked in confusion. The statement, while fairly simple, seemed rather out of the blue and irrelevant. "What are you talking about?"

To his relief Yuuko sat back, still wearing that enigmatic smile. "Oh nothing. It was just a thought. And yes, I can help you. For a price."

"She wishes us to acquire something for her," Kaito elaborated.

"What do you want us to get?"

"It's called a cormadilotus," the woman replied after a moment's pause. "There is one living in Doctor Min's house. I will make an appointment for you. All you have to do is go there, put it in here," she produced a small, glass bottle with a cork in it and handed it to the detective, "and bring it back to me."

The two travelers looked at the bottle then each other before Kaito voiced the question they were both thinking. "A what?"

"A cormadilotus," she repeated. "You will know what it is when you see it because only your blue-eyed friend here will see it."

"Does it belong to the doctor?" Shinichi asked, frowning slightly.

"No, it simply lives there."

Blue met indigo for a moment before Kaito inclined his head to the waiting shopkeeper. "We accept your offer."

Yuuko nodded and indicated that they should leave the room while she made a few calls. The two stepped outside and were directed to the next room by a pair of twin girls who, though cheerful, gave Shinichi the creeps. It was the way their eyes looked oddly blank even when they giggled and smiled. They were greeted in the next room by another teen whom Kaito introduced as Doumeki. He had apparently been drinking tea with a round, furry black creature with rabbit-like ears and short, stubby legs. Shinichi thought it was a stuffed animal until he saw it happily dig in to one of the small cakes set out on the table.

"Excuse me, but what is that exactly?" Kaito asked as he leaned in for a closer look at the odd little creature.

"Mokona's not an it!" the creature exclaimed, looking up from its cake and making both travelers start. "Mokona's a Mokona!" Declaration made, it went back to its cake.

"Oookay, I suppose that's fair enough."

Shinichi sat down and introduced himself to Doumeki who returned the greeting politely.

"Do you work here too then?" the detective inquired, accepting the cup of tea Doumeki offered him.

"No. I jus help out."

"And he's very helpful," Yuuko's voice came to them as she glided into the room. "Isn't he Watanuki?"

Watanuki, who had been walking in after her with a plateful of mochi, scowled instantly and opened his mouth to object but he didn't manage to get a single word out as the Mokona creature turned towards him with a happy cry of "Mochi!" and launched itself towards the plate. He let out a yelp of surprise and tried to yank the plate out of its reach. "Can't you at least wait until I put it down?"

"Mokona wants mochi!"

Ignoring the bickering pair, Yuuko stepped to the table and handed Kaito a sheet of paper. "This is the doctor's address and the time of your appointment."

Kaito skimmed the note before making it disappear. "Next Thursday huh? Guess we'll have to find a place to stay then."

"Can any of you recommend anywhere?" Shinichi asked.

"There's an apartment near my place that was just put up for sale," Watanuki suggested, having finally managed to set the plate of mochi on the table along with the Mokona creature.

"We're not looking for anything permanent though," Kaito pointed out, picking up a small cake. "Anyone renting?"

The bespectacled boy shook his head. "Not that I know of. Sorry."

"You could stay at my place," Doumeki offered, taking another sip of his tea. "I have lots of room."

Yuuko smiled. "That's an excellent idea."

X

Doumeki's house turned out to be a local shrine. It was a rather quiet place. The travelers were directed to a guest room after greeting Doumeki's mother where they found some spare futons in the closet.

"They haven't been used in a while," their host informed them as he helped extract the futons from their resting place. "We should probably put them under the sun for a while."

The three teens gathered up the futons to take them outside and do just that. With their beds-to-be out sunning, Kaito and Shinichi sat themselves down to keep an eye on them and get a moment's rest.

"Now I know why people say moving is a pain," Kaito said jokingly, nudging one futon with his foot. "You know, I've lived in the same house my whole life. And now I'm moving at least once every few weeks."

"I've never actually moved either," Shinichi admitted. "Not officially anyway."

"On the bright side, we don't have any furniture."

"That's true."

"So what do you want to do for the next few days anyway? Since we don't have to go see this lady doctor until next Thursday."

"Well, we should probably take some time to reorganize our supplies and find a way to restock on anything we might need."

"Ha! I knew you'd say that!" the magician crowed, grinning.

Shinichi rolled his eyes. "It's only common sense. I think it'd be wise to pick up some simple medicines too. Actually a coffee shop by the library needed some extra help since most of its usual staff is down with the flu. The owner was complaining about it to one of the librarians. I took a leaf out of your book and talked to him. It's part time and only until his usual staff members get better but since we don't have to pay rent we shouldn't need too much."

Kaito laughed. "A coffee shop huh? Do they offer free beverages for employees or something?"

The detective smiled a bit sheepishly as he rubbed at the back of his neck. "Actually, they do."

"Really? I was just kidding." The magician shook his head, still chuckling. "With how much coffee you can go through in a day, I'm not sure hiring you is going to be worth it for them."

Shinichi's look turned into a glare. "Says the thief who worked in a jewelry store."

"Ah, but you can't give back what you drink, whereas I have returned every jewel I've ever taken."

"So then what do _you_ plan to do with yourself in the next few days?"

The magician shrugged. "Take a look around, maybe do some street performing. That seems to have worked pretty well so far. We should write a book. How to survive when traveling with no usable money whatsoever. Rule number one, be nice to people. Rule number two, have some skills in entertainment. Rule number three, be incredibly lucky or bring a friend who is." He ticked each rule off on his fingers. He stopped when he heard Shinichi laughing and glanced over at the detective, his own grin softening into a smile. He liked hearing Shinichi laugh. He didn't seem to do it very often.

"So restock first, then medicine," the detective listed once the laughter had died down. "And if we have anything left after that we can see about finding some better cold weather clothes."

"And maybe get some of our photos printed," the magician added. "Sounds like a plan to me. And now that the business is over, how about we play a game?"

"I'm not playing cards with you," Shinichi replied, eyeing the deck the magician had produced like it was a snake that might bite him.

Kaito just chuckled as he started shuffling. "I wasn't going to suggest it."

"Then what did you have in mind?"

"Storytelling."

"...That's a game?"

"Let me finish," Kaito admonished, waving a finger at him like someone scolding a child. Shinichi squashed the urge to swat it (since such an action would only complete the image). "Basically we take turns drawing cards. Depending on the cards we draw, we choose a story to tell. The type of story will depend on the suit: clubs for funny stories, hearts for personal stories, diamonds for stories about other people, and spades means you answer a question or tell a story based on a topic of the other person's request. And just to make things more interesting, let's say the stories have to be real—or at least based on real events. So, how about it?" He held the deck out to Shinichi like an offering.

The detective looked at it dubiously for several seconds before apparently deciding it couldn't hurt and drawing a card. "Queen of spades. So…I guess that means you choose the topic?"

Kaito nodded (he'd been hoping for that). "Let's see… How about something on your parents?"

"Well…" Shinichi thought for a moment before continuing. "It wasn't all that long after I first turned into Conan. This really weird woman with glasses and curly black hair showed up at the Mouri Detective Agency and told Ran and Kogoro that she was my mother…" Shinichi quickly outlined the events of that rather bizarre two days. "So basically it was my parents who kidnapped me and they managed to rope Agasa into helping them put on the whole elaborate show. Scared me half to death." He grimaced at that.

"Weren't you angry?" Kaito asked curiously.

The detective shrugged and sighed. "A bit, but…when you grow up with my parents you kind of have to get used to that kind of thing. And they did have their reasons. They just—don't work the way other people do."

The magician shook his head. "Man, the more I hear about your parents the less I think I understand."

"Welcome to the club," Shinichi replied. And he wasn't joking. "So now it's your turn right?"

"Yep." The magician snapped his fingers and the top card on the deck shot up into his hands as though summoned. "Three of hearts. Let's see…"

"There's this girl in my class," Kaito began after a moment of thought. "I believe I've mentioned her before. Her name is Koizumi Akako, and she's a witch. She's always been the cryptic sort, but she has almost every guy in school eating out of her hand. Sometimes literally. Well, when we first began our acquaintanceship, she…"

X

"How may I help you?" Shinichi asked for what felt like the hundredth time that day as he finished writing the previous customer's order onto a cup and handing it to the one other person currently working in the shop.

"I…guess I wouldn't mind some green tea."

Shinichi looked around quickly at the familiar voice. "Watanuki?" he asked in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, well, I just thought I'd come see how you were doing," the other replied. "And I brought you a city map. I wasn't sure if you guys had gotten one yet and you'll probably need it."

Shinichi blinked then smiled. That was rather thoughtful of him. "Thank you. Actually, there was something I wanted to ask you about," he added, ringing up the tea. "Do you have a moment?"

"Yeah, sure. What is it?"

"Hold on, I'm supposed to be going on my break anyway. Just give me a moment to let the manager know."

Five minutes later the two were seated near one of the coffee shop windows with a cup of green tea and a cup of coffee respectively.

"I was wondering…" Shinichi paused, mulling over his words before continuing. "From what you said before, I gathered that not everyone can see ghosts around here, right?"

Watanuki nodded, gaze flickering to look out the window beside them. Following the direction of his gaze, Shinichi saw two young women chatting as they sat in front of a café across the street. But…judging from the way Watanuki was looking it didn't seem to be the women he was watching but something in the air around them.

"Is there something there?" he asked.

Watanuki turned back to him in surprise. "There's a spirit but…can't you see it? I mean, you saw that ghost the other day…"

Shinichi shook his head slowly. "That's kind of what I wanted to ask you. From what Yuuko-san said, I'm sure this cormadilotus thing will be like these ghosts—spirits—whatever, but I don't think I've seen any of them since Hirota-san. There are…moments when I think there might be something there, but it's never there when I actually look. Is there some way to practice?"

"Practice seeing spirits?" Watanuki repeated, sounding equal parts incredulous and uncertain. "I…don't know, I think it's something you're just born with." He laughed a bit sheepishly. "To be honest, I've kind of always wished I couldn't."

"I see." Shinichi frowned thoughtfully. But he'd come from a world without ghosts. Or at least he hadn't believed in ghosts while he was there. Now… There were a lot of things he was finding it harder and harder to be sure about lately, even about his own world. But obviously he'd never seen a real ghost before. Had something about him…changed then? So that he was beginning to see things now? He wasn't sure if he liked the idea for all sorts of reasons. For one, if he was changing, then what _else_ might happen? For another, how would he ever know what was real and what was imaginary if he really did end up being able to see things others couldn't? On the other hand that encounter with Hirota-san had left him thinking… If spirits really could linger after death, then wasn't it only right that someone saw them? Could help them? Who knew how long Hirota-san would have been trapped if he and Watanuki hadn't come along.

"I'm sorry I couldn't really help," Watanuki said, pulling Shinichi's attention back to him.

"No, it's all right. You've given me a lot to think about. Thank you."

X

"Excuse me, but I was wondering, are you part of some kind of movie company or something?"

Kaito blinked at the young woman who was currently working at the photo developing booth. "Why do you ask?"

"Oh, well, it's just that your photos are all really…" She trailed off and pulled out a few of the photos by way of explanation. By chance both photos she produced had been taken when they had still been on the pirate ship. In the first Nami had been showing off some of her maps to Shinichi, which wouldn't have been a particularly strange picture if you couldn't see a hand on the railing behind him—a hand whose arm stretched across the backdrop of the photo and out the other side without showing any shoulder. The other was of Usopp fixing part of the ship's rigging assisted by the ship's furry doctor. Come to think of it, a lot of their photos probably looked pretty strange. He could only imagine what the developers had thought when they'd seen them. They probably wouldn't believe him if he told them they weren't contrived.

"I was just wondering what show you were producing," the girl added, excitement alight in her eyes. "It looks interesting."

Hiding a smile, he cleared his throat and pulled on a somber expression. "Actually it's for this special effects in films class I'm taking. You see…"

X

Shinichi looked from the map Watanuki had lent them up at the large, western style house and then at the address scribbled in the margins. "I'm pretty sure this is the right place."

"We've only got a minute left before the appointment so let's hope you're right," Kaito replied.

Shinichi sighed and refolded the map so that he could tuck it back into his jacket pocket. "Yuuko-san said this lady was a doctor right? So what exactly was the problem we were supposed to have anyway?"

Kaito blinked. "What? You mean she didn't tell you? I thought you went to see her yesterday."

The detective shook his head. "No, she didn't. And I only went yesterday to ask for the doctor's phone number just in case we couldn't find the place. So what is it?"

"Yeah, about that…" The magician scratched the back of his head. "She didn't tell me either."

"What? But I thought… Didn't you two talk about it before I got to the shop?"

"Nope."

"So then what are we supposed to tell the doctor? It's going to be weird if we show up to the appointment and can't even tell her why we're here."

Kaito just shrugged. "I guess we'll have to wing it. Maybe if we're lucky she'll tell us what we're supposed to be here for before asking us any questions herself."

"It's not like we have much of a choice at this point," Shinichi grumbled. "Since you're the actor, you can be the patient."

"Aww, but we were sent here by a witch so maybe she's not a normal doctor. I was thinking we could tell her we wanted to find you an exorcist—ow! Hey, I was just kidding!"

"Well, it wasn't funny."

The two made their way up the bush-lined path towards the door. It was a very well tended house. From the vegetation to the paint on the house itself, everything looked pristine. And yet something about the place still felt off to Shinichi. He just couldn't quite put his finger on what.

Noting that the detective seemed to be lost in his thoughts, Kaito took it upon himself to ring the doorbell. Its light, cheery ring echoed through the chambers of the house beyond. A moment later it was followed by the sound of muffled footsteps before the door swung open to reveal a small woman who looked to be in her late twenties to early thirties. Her hair was pulled back into a glossy, black braid which matched her similarly dark eyes.

"Hello," she greeted them with a warm smile. "How may I help you?"

"We are here to see Doctor Min," Shinichi replied, bringing his focus back to the immediate present. Still, that feeling just wouldn't go away…

"Ah, that would be me. And you two are?"

"My name is Kudo Shinichi."

"And I am Kuroba Kaito." The magician swept into a bow and offered her a rose. "It is a pleasure to meet you."

She looked at the flower then clucked her tongue at him. "I see. Now put that away and come inside."

Kaito blinked at her retreating back, traded confused looks with Shinichi, and made the rose disappear. He'd gotten a variety of reactions from different girls to that greeting over the years from giggles to indignant yells to utter difference (very rare, but not unheard of), but this was a first.

"Come on," Shinichi said, taking off his shoes and stepping inside. The doctor was waiting for them beside an open doorway farther down the hall. Once she was sure they had seen her, she disappeared into the room beyond, leaving them to follow at their own pace.

Halfway to the room in question, Shinichi spotted a framed diploma on the wall that declared the doctor to have a PhD in psychology. Oh great… He tapped Kaito on the arm and gestured to it. The magician's eyebrows rose.

"She sent us to a _shrink_?" he mouthed, somehow managing to convey his incredulity without uttering a sound.

"Well, I'm sure lots of people would happily vouch for the fact that you are insane," the detective mouthed back, the corners of his lips quirking up in amusement. The whole list of KID task force officers for one, headed no doubt by Nakamori himself.

Kaito rolled his eyes then smirked. "Says he who has run into enough murders not to be surprised when someone drops dead nearby. I'm sure a psychologist would have a field day with that."

"Is there something wrong?"

They both turned quickly at the sound of the doctor's voice to find the woman watching them.

Hurriedly assuring her that nothing was amiss, the two finally stepped into what turned out to be a very large, very airy office with huge windows that looked out onto a well tended garden. It was obviously designed for maximum comfort. The color scheme was warm and the furniture arranged to give the place a spacious yet homely feel.

"Have a seat," the doctor invited, gesturing to the many plushy chairs scattered around the circular coffee table. "Would you like some juice? Or water?"

"Water would be fine," Shinichi said.

"I'll have some too," Kaito added. Giving the chairs a once over, he picked one that would allow him a good view of most of the room as well as the windows looking into the yard. His companion sank into an adjacent chair. The doctor excused herself for a minute before returning with three glasses of ice water. She handed one to each of them before taking the last herself and sitting down across the table from them.

"So," she began once everyone had settled down. "How long have you been seeing each other?"

Shinichi choked on his water. Cold liquid splashed on his hand and across the table in front of him. Had she just said what he thought she'd said? To his side Kaito had stopped with his glass halfway to his mouth. He blinked. None of the list of stories and answers he'd started compiling after finding out the woman was some kind of psychiatrist looked like they were going to work anymore. He started drawing up new lists.

"Perhaps we should start from the beginning," she suggested, seeing as neither of her 'guests' had said anything yet. As she talked she handed Shinichi a wad of tissues, politely ignoring the fact that he'd sprayed water all over her table. He took it numbly and began to clean up the mess. "Why don't you tell me more about yourselves? How long have you known each other?"

"Almost three years," Kaito replied, letting his moment of surprise slip away and settling down into story-making mode.

Beside him Shinichi was doing his utmost best to pretend he was somewhere else. It wasn't working. Finally he gave up and decided instead to occupy himself with the task of trying to see what the heck it was Yuuko wanted them to get for her. Blue eyes scanned the empty air around the room, searching in vain for some kind of hint that there was something more than air there. The problem was that he had no idea what he was looking for. How would he even know it when he saw it?

All he knew about it was that she had said it was something only he would see. But it probably wasn't a ghost. It sounded like a species of something. So would it be some kind of spirit creature? How big would it be? The bottle she'd given them was kind of small. Was he going to have to scour the house or something? That would take forever. But since Yuuko had only made one appointment for them (god, what had she _told_ the woman?), she probably expected him to be able to find it in only this one hour…

Leaning back in his seat, he surveyed the room again, this time not so much trying to see something as just taking everything in. And gradually, like a heavy fog dissipating under the burning rays of the sun, the air seemed to shift.

There seemed to be wavering streams of smoke snaking across the ceiling. A quick look around the room showed that no one else seemed to have noticed. Was this what Yuuko had been talking about? The longer he looked at the wispy streamers the clearer they seemed to become. They twisted across the ceiling and dripped down the walls. In fact, they looked kind of like vines. Tracing them with his eyes, he found that they all led back to one corner of the ceiling where the shadows looked particularly thick. Or rather, not shadows—more like a cloud, only its edges were too stable. He could pick out smooth curves and elegant lines that all came together to form something he could only call a flower.

It was massive. At least two feet across, its huge, gossamer petals hung in a soft mass of translucent layers. The whole thing pulsed slowly almost like a beating heart. With each pulse it felt as though the air grew darker.

"Sorry but, is he all right?"

Kaito blinked at the doctor's sudden question and followed her gaze to where Shinichi was staring fixedly at a corner of the ceiling like it was one of the most fascinating things he had ever seen (or like there was a monster clinging to the ceiling that he was expecting to see leap down upon them at any moment). Did that mean Shinichi had found something? Well, he'd let him know if he had. "He tends to get caught up in thinking a lot," he said with a shrug as he turned back to Doctor Min.

"He doesn't seem to like us very much," she observed. "He's hardly said anything or even looked our way."

"He's just shy," Kaito assured her.

She accepted the explanation without protest, leaving him to wonder what kinds of weird people she'd been exposed to in the past. "May I ask how you found your way here and what it is you wish to accomplish?"

"A friend of ours recommended we come see you. As for the rest… It's a long story," he told her with all honesty as he heaved a drawn out sigh. "I don't suppose I could have another cup of water?"

The woman nodded with a kind smile and picked up his empty glass. "I'll be right back."

The moment she was gone, Kaito turned to his companion—who was _still_ staring at the corner of the ceiling.

"I hope there's a reason you've been ignoring me," he informed him. "Just so you know, you have given me free reign to tell her whatever I felt like, and I will continue to do so until you decide to join the conversation."

"It's up there in the corner," Shinichi said, pointing to the corner of the ceiling farthest from the windows (the same one he'd been glued to all afternoon, of course). "It's some kind of flower. I think it's what Yuuko wants."

Kaito stared but couldn't see anything but wall. "Okay…I'll take your word for it."

"The question is, how are we going to get it? I mean, it's not even solid. And it's fifteen times bigger than the bottle."

"I'm sure it's not a normal bottle." There was a puff of smoke and the magician was now up in the corner of the ceiling, supporting himself by bracing his free hand and both feet against the walls. Shinichi twitched as he watched in mild discomfort the way Kaito's head seemed to be sticking right through one of the odd plant's large leaves.

"So where is it? We're going to have to be quick about this before the good doctor gets back," Kaito called down, glancing around at the air as he held up the open bottle.

"Move your hand higher and farther out," the detective called back, squinting. The drooping petals of the flower could almost be said to come to a point. Maybe if they could put that point into the bottle… "A little more to your right—too much, left, a little more… There! I guess maybe—what the…"

"What?" Kaito asked, looking down at Shinichi then back at the empty bottle in his hands. It was clear from the detective's wide-eyed expression that something was up. "What's happening?"

"It's…kind of like the flower's melting and being pulled into the bottle," Shinichi explained, eyes fixed on the bizarre sight. The vines that had been creeping across the ceiling too were growing thinner by the second as they retreated towards the vanishing bloom. It was like watching a video of something growing being rewound. And with it that lingering sense of wrongness in the air was also fading. Inside the bottle soft, shadowy folds grew thicker and darker.

Kaito heaved an exaggerated sigh. Not being able to see what was happening kind of sucked. "Let me know when it's done."

When Shinichi finally gave him the okay he dropped back to the floor and fished the cork out of his pocket. Tapping it back into the bottle's mouth, he glanced around when he heard Shinichi catch his breath. Following the detective's gaze, he noted with some surprise that the bottle was no longer empty. It was now half full of a faintly luminous amber liquid.

"Huh, doesn't look much like a flower to me," he commented, swishing the liquid around in the bottle. It seemed to be rather viscous, crawling along the glass like honey.

"It—kind of…" Shinichi waved his hands around, not quite sure how to describe what he'd seen. "Dissolved…?"

"Let's hope Yuuko-san doesn't mind getting her payment in liquid form then."

Further discussion had to be postponed as they both heard the doctor's footsteps coming back.

"Can't we tell her this was a mistake?" Shinichi hissed at the magician as he slumped back into his seat.

"If we were going to do that we should've done it at the beginning, it would just look like you're trying to get out of it now," Kaito pointed out. "Besides, since you weren't saying anything, I already told her we've been going out for six months and that we've been trying to work out some problems since we moved in together for university."

"You said _what_?" Shinichi sputtered in horror. "_Why_?"

"Obviously because that would be what she would expect. There had to be a reason a friend would recommend we see a relationship councilor. Honestly Shinichi, it's just a story, no need to go freaking out. If you want to get out of here faster, we'll have to make _her_ come to the conclusion that we don't have to be here."

"And how are we supposed to do that?"

"For one, you can scoot over, that chair's made for two." As he spoke, the magician relocated himself. "Now just relax and imagine that this is all a dream. I'll do the talking."

Shinichi shot him a dour look but it was too late to argue as Doctor Min reappeared.

X

"Now that wasn't so bad was it?" the magician prodded as they left the doctor's house, amusement dancing in his indigo eyes.

Shinichi shot him a flat look. Clearly he didn't think the question even warranted a proper answer. "You have to ask?"

"Oh, I don't know, I thought it was kind of fun." Folding his arms behind his head, Kaito flashed a grin at his companion. "Just imagine what the people back home would think. Kaitou KID and the Heisei Holmes—the fun we could have!"

Shinichi's expression morphed to one of incredulity. "Only you would find that fun." In his own mind all he could see was Sonoko coming after him with fire in her eyes and thunderclouds over her head. He shuddered. "It sounds like a nightmare."

"You wound me! Do you really find the idea of going out with me that horrible?"

"That is so not the point."

"Oh? So is it maybe then that you have someone waiting for you at home and it's the reminder that bothers you?"

"No," Shinichi snapped, wondering if Kaito was maybe trying to make him feel uncomfortable. "What? Do you?"

"Have someone waiting for me you mean?"

Shinichi nodded, a little surprised that the magician hadn't just laughed. He hadn't really meant to ask, the question had just slipped (a kneejerk reflex he supposed). He glanced up towards the sky. There were no clouds.

Kaito was silent for a long moment before he answered. "Not in the romantic sense, no. I suppose there might have been," he added, sounding more like he was talking to himself than to Shinichi, "but that was a long time ago. It would never have worked anyway. Besides, she started dating Hakuba about a month before we left." He shook his head in pity. "I guess there's no accounting for taste."

Shinichi snorted though he had to admit that he was relieved he hadn't struck any nerves. For a moment there he'd been afraid it was a bad question to ask.

"We should go straight to Yuuko-san's," he said instead.

X

"Interesting." Yuuko held up the bottle and examined the amber liquid inside before turning her gaze to Kaito. "You did this?"

The magician shrugged. "I didn't do anything. It just happened."

"But you put it inside."

"Or so Shinichi tells me."

"I see." She studied the bottle for another minute before setting it down on the table. "Most interesting indeed."

"So can you tell us what's wrong with Aome now?" Shinichi asked.

"She is a creation," the woman replied. Reaching out with gentle fingers, she took the sleepy dove from where she had been dozing on the table and lifted her up to eye level.

"The people who gave her to us referred to her kind as shadow beasts," Kaito explained, choosing the non-game based term he recalled the duelists using a few times. "They said they dwelled in a different realm."

Yuuko nodded thoughtfully. "I see. And how did you receive her?"

The travelers traded looks at the rather oddly phrased question before Shinichi answered. "In that world they had a game which used cards based on these creatures. Before we left they gave us one of those cards and it—became Aome."

"So it was the card they gave you? Not the creature herself?"

They both nodded.

"So when did it go from being a card to being your bird friend here?"

"It happened the moment I took it," Shinichi replied, thinking back.

The woman nodded, not looking the least bit surprised (although by this point Shinichi was sure nothing ever surprised her). "And when did you first notice that she was not feeling well?"

"When we got to the last world—the one we were on before we came here—we noticed that she was spending a great deal more time sleeping,"

"And you two?"

The travelers shared another moment of puzzlement before Shinichi asked, "What about us?"

"Did you two do anything you haven't done since you started your journey?" the woman clarified.

"Well…we both caught colds," he offered after a moment's thought.

"Anything else?"

"I don't think so."

Yuuko nodded, setting Aome down and bringing the tips of her fingers together as she gazed across the table at them. "To truly understand the problem you wish to solve, you have to know that the laws of worlds naturally vary just as worlds do. This is particularly true for the laws of power. The one who gave you this bird," she gestured at Aome, "knew that the self contained nature of her existence as it is tied to you," she inclined her head towards the detective, "her summoner, would allow her to remain with you no matter where you landed regardless of the differences in those laws. In essence, though she is the creation of the one who gave her to you, she was created to draw her strength from one of you and not her creator, which is why she can travel with you despite the fact that she belongs to a realm that most likely does not exist outside of her world. However, it seems that at some point in your travels she must have come into contact with an opposing type of power strong enough to disrupt her own. From what I can tell her own magic is fairly strong and stable, so it wasn't enough to destroy her, but it did interrupt her connection to you, her source of energy. The connection should have repaired itself, but the fact that you yourself fell ill soon after disrupted the process. To cure her you must clear the pathway."

"But how? I don't know any magic."

"You don't have to. All the spell work was done before you received her. Just call to her—with your heart, not your voice. It might help to be closer."

Shinichi glanced from Yuuko to Aome.

"Go on," Kaito said encouragingly.

Still feeling rather dubious about the whole thing, Shinichi carefully scooped Aome up into his cupped hands. She shuffled around a bit in her sleep to get into a more comfortable position before settling down again. He watched her for a moment, not really sure where to begin. He could feel the other two occupants of the room watching him expectantly. It wasn't helping.

Sighing, he closed his eyes and did his best to block them out. Instead he focused on the bird sitting on his hands, willing her to be better. She might have been born from magic, but she was more than just their guide or some kind of pet. She was a friend and an ally. And they owed her.

It was odd but the longer he sat there with all his attention focused on Aome, the more he was beginning to notice that he could tell it was Aome he was holding and not some other bird. Not because it was supposed to be, but because she…felt different. He couldn't put the feeling into words. It was like knowing that something was hot or cold. And his sense of it was growing clearer and sharper by the second until something seemed to snap into place. It wasn't painful, but it was a little shocking.

A soft coo made him open his eyes. He found himself looking down into a pair of beady, blue orbs set in a feathery white face.

"You should remember however," Yuuko interjected as Kaito broke out into a broad grin, "that if she ever fully loses her connection to you she will be pulled back into her own world."

X

"So is everything all right with your bird now?" Watanuki asked when he saw them coming outside.

"Yep, see for yourself." Grinning, Kaito lifted his right hand and a blue-eyed dove spread her wings to soar in a happy circle around the yard. They all watched her perform a series of energetic acrobatic maneuvers. Suddenly she banked and vanished through an open door.

"Aome!" Shinichi called after her but she didn't return.

"Where does that door lead?" Kaito asked.

"That's the storage room," Watanuki said as all three followed the dove.

They found her perched on one of the long shelves, preening herself. She chirped happily when she saw them and turned her head to direct their eyes to the cylindrical green stone beside her.

Kaito whistled and shook his head. "To think, it was here the whole time."

It was a clear, green cylinder, only if you looked inside you could see layers of rings dividing the cylinder into flatter cylinders so that it was really a stack of discs. Each disc in turn had a grid etched faintly across it. In effect it looked like something a mathematician who had decided to take up etching images inside crystals might have decided to do for practice.

"So this thing helps you guys travel?" Watanuki asked, peering curiously at the green stone. "How does it work?"

"We don't actually know," Shinichi admitted.

"But we're learning," Kaito added, running a finger along one of the translocater's smooth edges before taking it off the shelves.

"May I see it for a moment?" Yuuko's voice inquired from the open doorway. They turned to see her making her way towards them where she held out her hand. Kaito handed it to her. She turned it over in her long fingers for a few moments before handing it back with an amused smile. "Just a little advice, since you gave me a little more than I asked for. It hears you, but it cannot listen because you do not know how to speak. You already have everything you need. Just remember that sometimes we are blinded by what we believe."

"So you _do_ know something," Kaito observed, indigo eyes sharp as he studied Yuuko's face. "You're just not going to tell us."

"Well, I _could_ tell you more," she said amiably, shrugging one shoulder as the corners of her mouth quirked up.

"At a price."

Her smile grew. "Of course."

"Then I thank you for the offer but I think we can find our own answers."

She laughed lightly. "That is a wise decision. I doubt you could have paid the price."

"Does that mean you're leaving now?" Watanuki asked. "You could stay for dinner."

"I wanted to go back to thank Doumeki and his mother," Shinichi replied.

"Then join us for dinner," Yuuko declared. "We'll invite them."

Shinichi glanced at Kaito who shrugged. "It's probably better to leave in the morning anyway."

Arrangements were made for the travelers to head back to Doumeki's house and invite them to dinner at Yuuko's. They would also be making a quick round of the local shops for any last minute supplies.

"Why did you tell them they couldn't have paid for the information they'd need to get home?" Watanuki asked once the two had left, turning to frown at Yuuko.

His boss only looked at him in that way that said there was so much that he didn't understand. "Tell me, what would you say is the most important thing to have in life?"

Watanuki blinked. "Uh…happiness, I guess."

"And what brings us happiness?"

"Wouldn't that depend on the person?"

One elegant eyebrow rose. "How so?"

"Obviously different things make different people happy," he replied, not at all sure where this was going.

"Such as?"

"You know, like finding their true love or getting lots of money. Being famous, getting a certain job, that kind of thing."

"And what would you call those exactly?"

Watanuki was starting to get annoyed. "I don't know, dreams?"

"Exactly."

He blinked. "But…what does that have to do with anything?"

"Without dreams, human lives would be meaningless. They are what give us happiness and make us strive. When we have earned our dreams, we have also earned happiness. But the hope that our dreams can be achieved and the knowledge that there is no final dream but always another to be reached are just as valuable as the dreams themselves. None of these things can be bargained for, for their value is beyond human calculation."

"But all they wanted was to know how their stone works. It's just a tool."

"To you, that would be all it is, but to them that stone is far more than just a tool. It is their hope." She sighed and turned her gaze back to him. "I'm thirsty. Get me some sake, Watanuki."

"You aren't supposed to drink sake when you're thirsty! You're supposed to drink water!"

"Don't be such a spoilsport. We're having a party! You better get going if you want to finish getting all the food ready in time."

**TBC**

* * *

**Next**: Detectives of a Different Kind [Yu Yu Hakusho]

A.N: If any YYH fans remember the diagram they used once when talking about the relationship between Reikai and Makai, that's where the translocater's shape came from. YYH is one of my own favorites so I'm definitely looking forward to trying out working with it. It'll also be more energetic. Oh, and this story now has a cover picture. You can see it here, just replace the dots:

http:/alaena-h(dot)deviantart(dot)com/art/Travelers-261916923

Anyhow, I'm going to be moving soon. I'll probably be able to get some more of Midnight up first but then you probably won't see me for a while. **And a big thank you to everyone for being so supportive!**


	8. Detectives of a Different Kind

**A.N**: Wow, it's been a whole year since this story started! ^_^ Okay, so I broke one of my own crossover rules and actually borrowed a main plot point, but I have my reasons. Anyhow, this might be a pointless warning, but this chapter is rather long. I have decided that if ever a chapter hits 20k I am going to cut it in half. Well, enjoy! Oh, and I decided to use the English terminology to minimize the need for explanations for people unfamiliar with the series.

Disclaimer: I don't own DCMK or YYH

YYH Timeline: Post Dark Tournament, pre Chapter Black.

* * *

8: Detectives of a Different Kind

(World 8: Yu Yu Hakusho)

"That's odd… You're not dead."

Kaito twitched. He didn't recognize that voice, but he had the feeling it was directed at him and that wasn't the kind of statement you could just lie around and ignore. So he pried open his eyes despite the fact that his eyelids felt like they had lead weights attached to them—to find himself looking up into a pair of pink eyes framed by long, sky blue hair. He blinked. His trained eyes couldn't pick out any sign of contacts or dye (and he knew a _lot_ of brands of dye).

The stranger blinked when her eyes met his. "Oh, so you're awake. How're you feeling?"

"Fairly well, thank you," Kaito replied, sitting up. He felt a little lightheaded but otherwise fine. Though it was the first time in a while that he hadn't completed the jump conscious. "I can assure you at least that I am very much alive."

She tilted her head to one side in confusion. "I guess… I just wasn't sure you know, since your ghost is up here. Normally souls only leave their bodies when a person dies."

Kaito stared at her for a moment then looked down. That was when he realized that he was indeed sitting on empty air some few hundred feet above some busy city streets. He watched the cars drive by below for a few seconds before looking back up at the girl with the blue hair to see that she too was floating, though in her case she appeared to be seated on a wooden oar.

"But I can't find you in my guidebook," the girl was saying, holding up a small handbook. "Which is really kind of odd. You're not from around here, are you?"

"Another world actually," the magician replied absently. "So when you say that I'm a ghost, do you mean that I am simply on another plane of existence?"

"Well, that's true, but it mostly means you've lost the ties that kept you in your body, which usually happens when you die. But from what I saw I don't think you're actually dead. Which is frankly shocking considering the circumstances."

"Wait, wait, you mean I've been separated from my body?"

"That's the gist of it!" she replied with a cheerful smile. "But don't worry. Koenma should be able to help you fix that if you come with me to the spirit world since I don't think you were supposed to die here."

"What I want to know is how this happened," the magician muttered, scratching the back of his head as he thought. He was feeling distinctly out of the loop here.

"I'm not really sure myself," the girl admitted, drifting a bit higher in the air. "I only just got here in time to watch them take your body away."

"They what?"

"Don't worry, they took it to the hospital," she reassured him as though that was the problem. "They took it to the hospital. Like I said, your body didn't actually die. I guess you just got knocked out of it in the accident."

This was so taking the cake for weirdest landing ever. Closing his eyes, he thought back, searching through his memories for any hint of what had happened.

_ It was a city. He could hear the roar of traffic the moment the world began to pull itself back together into a solid form. The first thing he saw was the car and the driver's shocked face through the windshield. The second thing he saw was that Shinichi was standing with his back to said vehicle still disoriented from the translocation and therefore unaware of its presence._

_ He reacted without thinking. He lunged for the detective who let out a startled cry as Kaito used his momentum to spin them around and pushed. The sound of tires screeching on rain wet road filled his ears and everything went white an instant after he caught the horrified expression on Shinichi's face._

_ He did not like seeing that expression on Shinichi's face._

Opening his eyes, he turned quickly to the blue-haired girl. "Where is he?"

She blinked back at him in obvious confusion. "Where's who?"

"The boy I was with. Looks a lot like me," he added, pointing at himself. "Blue eyes, Hair kind of has this tuft that sticks up in the back."

"Now that you mention it, I think I did see someone who looked like that," the girl mused, one kimono-covered hand rising to her chin. "I believe he went with the ambulance that took your body to the hospital."

There were all kinds of things wrong with that statement, Kaito mused, but there would be time to remedy that later. "Can you show me the way?"

X

As a detective—especially one who specialized in homicide cases—Shinichi had seen a lot of deaths through the years. He'd seen both the dead and the dying in situations ranging from the straight forward to the bizarre. Indeed death had been a closer companion over the years than any of his human acquaintances. There were people who thought that meant he didn't react as much to death as others did because he'd gotten used to it. They were wrong. Death wasn't something a person just got used to. But it was something a person could learn to live with, because the living were more important than the dead. Things could be done for those who were still alive.

For that he hated seeing people die, even when they weren't the best of people, because the living could change. Become better, if given the direction and the chance.

Still, it was true that seeing death had lost most of its shock factor for him. It was upsetting, but not shocking. It was just another part of his life that, while unpleasant, had its place and the way it was to be dealt with.

But though he met death almost every day and he had both seen his friends come close to it and come close to it himself on many occasions, he had never actually seen someone close to him die (it probably helped that he wasn't really close to all that many people. He'd seen too many heroes turned to villains and heard too many twisted tales to trust easily). Luck had been at least somewhat kind to him on that front.

It was, however, something he had always been afraid would happen. He had seen so many people die that it was hard not to think about the possibility. It haunted him. It was why he preferred to do things on his own—why asking for help was still hard even though he'd learned that sometimes it was better to. No matter how skilled a person was or how cut and dry a situation looked, there was always the chance for an accident. Just as it was human nature to err, it was the nature of fate to be unpredictable. It was the kind of thing he had nightmares about—those moments that could have turned out so much worse than they had.

And now… He felt as though he had forgotten how to breathe. He could hear his heart pounding in his ears but the rest of the world seemed to have fallen silent.

Kaito…Kaito had just— they had landed in the middle of a busy street and Kaito had just been—

He couldn't finish the thought.

It was the sound of a siren that finally cut through the fog in his mind and he leapt to his feet. A crowd had gathered but their horrified murmur was nothing but a whisper in the back of his awareness. Instead all his attention was focused on the person being lifted onto a stretcher and taken into the ambulance.

Picking up his pace, he reached the ambulance before they could close the door. The paramedics probably assumed he and Kaito were brothers as they didn't comment when he climbed into the vehicle. He didn't bother to inform them otherwise. The ride felt like it went on forever and yet when it stopped and he got off he found he couldn't remember any of it. That, however, was a lapse of memory that he wasn't going to complain about.

He followed the stretcher as it was carefully maneuvered into the hospital, through the entrance hall, around several corners, and into an emergency room. There they shut the door and he was reminded that he couldn't go in with them. Left with a horribly tight feeling in his stomach and nerves that felt like bowstrings, he slid into one of the chairs in the waiting room. It was only then that he noticed that a nurse had been trying to talk to him.

She asked him for Kaito's name before going on to ask for a list of things Shinichi couldn't tell her. Where he lived. How to contact his parents. In the end, she patted him kindly on the shoulder and told him to sit down.

The man who'd been driving the car was a wreck. He'd followed the ambulance to the hospital and offered to pay the bills. Then he'd waited with Shinichi for the doctors' news, apologizing every few minutes. Apparently he had lost a son to a car accident not all that long ago himself and the idea that he might have been responsible for such an incident himself was clearly tearing him apart from the inside out.

Shinichi would have liked to be able to tell him it was all right, but he couldn't. Because it wasn't. But he _could_ tell the man that it wasn't his fault. After all, it wasn't the man's fault that he and Kaito had materialized on the road right in front of his car (although he couldn't explain it in quite that way, he did try to at least convey the sheer unpredictability of the event). But he could see that his words weren't reaching the man.

In the end he gave up and turned instead to the clock on the wall. Watching the hands crawl around that pale, unconcerned face however just made his stomach twist itself slowly into knots.

Why hadn't it crossed his mind that something like this might happen? The gem had, after all, dropped them off miles above an open sea once with no land anywhere in sight. If Kaito hadn't had his glider that time, they would probably both have drowned if they hadn't been dashed to death against the water first. He should have expected that it might land them in another difficult situation. He should have been more careful. With Kaito's reflexes, he should have had no problem getting out of the way if he'd been alone. Heck, Shinichi was a fast runner with decent reflexes of his own. If he'd only thought to look behind him the moment they landed…

He wished he could stop thinking.

It was dark out by the time the doctor came to inform them that what could be done had been done and all they could do now was wait.

No one objected when Shinichi said that he wanted to stay. Glad he wouldn't have to argue with anyone about it, he pulled up a chair beside the magician's hospital bed and sat down. He found he couldn't look at Kaito for long though. It was just too strange seeing him so still. It was wrong. The Kaito he'd come to know was never still or quiet, not in this way anyway. When he was still, it was always with the sense of anticipation, and when he was quiet it usually meant he was plotting. This was… It just wasn't right.

He caught a glimpse of something white moving at the window and he remembered that he had seen the doves fleeing the scene of the accident earlier. Getting up, he moved to open the window. Sure enough, six white birds flew inside and lined themselves up on the footboard of the hospital bed. At least he wouldn't have to tell Kaito they'd lost any of his birds. He shut the window again and returned to his seat.

Blue eyes flickered back to the doves, examining each carefully for any signs of injury. They seemed to be all right, though some of them were peering at their master as though wondering why he hadn't greeted them.

He would have to remember to feed them in the morning. There should be something for them in the wizards' box. The nurses had stacked Kaito's clothes on another of the room's chairs when they'd changed him into hospital pajamas. It looked as though one of them had accidentally set something off because he could see bits of confetti and specks of glitter all over both the clothes and the floor. It might have been amusing if situations had been different.

Shinichi's head jerked up and around abruptly as his eyes scanned his surroundings. For a moment he'd thought he'd seen out of the corner of his eye—but no, he couldn't have. Because if he'd seen _that_ it would mean… Blue eyes shifted to the machine monitoring the magician's heartbeat. It was steady. Relief flooded through him and he closed his eyes.

Maybe he should be trying to get some sleep if his mind was beginning to play tricks on him.

X

"It seems he might be able to sense our presence," the blue-haired girl—or rather grim reaper, he reminded himself, she had said her name was Botan and that she was a grim reaper—mused.

"He's very sensitive to being watched," Kaito replied. Sitting in midair beside the detective, the magician studied his tired face.

Over these past few months he had seen a lot of sides to the detective that he'd never seen before, and with them a myriad of expressions from excited to worried to embarrassed. Of course he'd seen him upset before too. But it had never been like this. The expression in his eyes now… Seeing it made Kaito's chest clench with something he couldn't quite put a name to.

He thought again that he did not like that expression at all.

But what he really hated was that he was _right there_ and couldn't do a damned thing about it.

"You know," Botan continued, either oblivious to the heavy atmosphere or attempting to make it brighter. "His spirit awareness must be pretty good. I think he might even be able to see us if he tried hard enough."

"I think you might be right," Kaito mused. "He _has_ seen ghosts before. But I don't think he wants to." Drifting closer to the bed, he reached out, watching as his hand passed right through his own shoulder. In a different situation, he might have found it rather interesting, but as it was it was actually kind of irritating.

Drawing his hand back, he cast one last glance at Shinichi (who hadn't moved a muscle), and turned to Botan. "So you said there was someone who can help me, ah, reunite myself?"

Botan blinked in momentary confusion before her face lit with a smile. "Oh yes. Are you ready to go then?"

Kaito nodded. It wasn't like he could do anything else here. And the sooner he got back the better.

X

One moment they were flying over the city beneath a night sky, the next they were soaring over a sea of fluffy, golden clouds bordered on the horizons with jagged mountains. They landed before a pair of massive, double doors which opened into an equally massive hallway. The ceiling was so far above their heads that it was lost in shadows and their footsteps echoed from the blue-tinted walls. There was a certain type of spooky grandeur to the place, but the feeling was rather ruined when they stepped into what looked and sounded like a busy workplace. There were large, colorful, ogre creatures running every which way laden down with teetering towers of paper and books. Almost every last one of them had a panicked, pressed-for-time expression stamped across its face. It was actually pretty funny, though Kaito refrained from laughing out loud. No need to be rude.

Botan led him through the busy chaos to another pair of doors which slid smoothly open to either side at their approach.

"Koenma sir, I've brought him," Botan announced as she stepped into the office beyond and bowed.

"Thank you Botan," a voice replied from the massive desk.

It took Kaito a moment to locate the toddler with the blue pacifier seated behind that desk in a padded chair that dwarfed its occupant. The toddler had his hands folded on the desk in a very business-like manner as he studied the two new arrivals.

Kaito blinked. "I take it you're Koenma?"

"Indeed I am," the toddler replied.

"You must be very wise to hold such a position at such a tender age," he noted, taking his own bow. "My name is Kuroba Kaito. Thank you for your hospitality."

The toddler paused for a moment at that in surprise. "Thank you. It's refreshing to see a human come through who actually has some manners. But let's get down to business shall we?" Standing up in his chair, he pulled a book off of the stack on his desk and flipped it open. "According to our records, you're not even from this universe, and we certainly don't have a place for you here. As it is, you can't die here. Well, actually you can in the technical sense, but you're not supposed to."

"That's good to know."

"But it _is_ abnormal that your heart is still beating even though you left it."

"Well, I can't claim I've ever been normal."

"Usually we need to authorize that, but I guess this saves us the trouble. It seems as though someone else is helping you."

"You can authorize things like that?" Kaito asked, intrigued. "Does that mean you just have to authorize it for me to get back to normal?"

"It's a little more complicated than that. Normally when someone comes back from the dead, the first step is to make sure the body is alive, in the sense that we give it a pulse. As I was saying, you don't need that. But in order for you to actually return to your body a certain amount of life energy is required. There are two ways this is usually done."

Kaito nodded, listening intently as the toddler held up two fingers. He had just heard the word 'normally' used in conjunction with the phrase 'comes back from the dead'. It was…interesting, to say the least, but he should probably just be thankful that this whole fiasco had happened in a world where these things were, apparently, fairly routine. Boy was he going to have a lot to tell Shinichi when he got back!

"One method relies upon you storing your own spirit energy inside a spirit egg like this." Koenma held up an egg with a slightly gold tinted shell. "When there is enough, the egg will hatch, and the beast inside will guide you back to your body—if you're a good person. If you're not, it will eat you, and your soul will cease to exist. The beast reflects your inner self. That is why this method is considered an ordeal."

"…Okay. And the other way is?"

"The other way relies on getting a donation of life energy from someone else—someone who's alive and cares about you. The key to this method is timing. You just have to convince—"

"Convince? As in there's a way for ghosts to communicate with the living?"

Koenma frowned at the interruption. "Humans are closer to the spirit world when they are asleep, now do you want to hear this or not?"

"Yes, yes I do," the magician said quickly, offering the toddler an apologetic smile. "So I would need an energy transfer, right?"

"Correct. Which, as I was saying, means convincing one of your family members or friends to kiss you when the energy in your body and spirit align properly."

"Wait, run that by me again. Did you just say _kiss_?"

"The contact allows the necessary energy to pass from them to you."

"Right… I guess that makes sense."

"Normally spirits would be required to take the ordeal of the spirit egg to determine their worthiness to return to the living world, but since you're a guest here, we will let you decide which method you wish to try."

"I'll—take the egg," Kaito replied, lips quirking up in amusement. He would like to think that any creature reflecting his inner self would be unlikely to hatch a man-eater. The other option on the other hand would require convincing Shinichi (the only person in this world who knew enough about him to care if he was alive or dead) to do something he would no doubt find vastly embarrassing based solely upon what the detective would no doubt think was just a weird dream. The chances of that working out didn't look all that high to his practiced eye, even if he did find the idea…interesting.

"You must keep the egg with you at all times," Koenma instructed as he handed the egg to the magician.

"Do I have to do anything else?" he asked, turning it over in his hands. "Keep it warm or something?"

"That isn't necessary. Just remember, it will be feeding off of your thoughts and feelings."

X

"Would you like me to drop you off at the hospital?" Botan asked as she flew them back towards the living world. "I would stay and show you around, but I have to deliver a message to Yusuke about a new apparition who's been on the loose. I'll come by when I can, but in the meantime you could always look around yourself if you'd like."

"Just take me back to the hospital," Kaito replied, looking down at the sprawl of city lights that had just materialized below them. Normally he'd love to do some exploring, especially now that he could quite literally get in anywhere he liked, but he still had that _look_ stuck in his head. He didn't want to leave Shinichi alone while he was looking like that. Even if he couldn't really do anything. Maybe once he'd made sure his detective was all right, he'd take a look around.

X

He was starting to really despise the silence. It was just…too quiet. There was the sound of the hospital machinery, but that didn't make the room feel any less quiet. It was better when the doves were in the room, but he doubted the hospital would approve of their presence so he usually let them out in the morning. They always came back when the sky began to darken. Kaito had certainly trained them well.

The doctor came once every day. According to him, the magician's injuries were healing fairly well, but he was showing no signs of waking up. Two nurses took turns checking in and changing the bandages periodically every day. They had mentioned the limitations of visiting hours, but none of them had pushed very hard for him to leave. For that, he was grateful.

It was lunchtime on the third day when one of the nurses finally decided that it was time to do something about the boy who'd planted himself by the hospital bed. She had finished making sure everything was all right with the patient when she turned to him and cleared her throat. He looked up at her questioningly.

"You should really go get something to eat," she said kindly. "And get some fresh air. You're looking a little pale."

Shinichi frowned, eyes flickering to her nametag. "But Shirayuki-san—"

"Just Kari, and I'll watch him until you get back."

"But I—"

"Go," she said firmly, folding her arms and leveling him with a look that broached no argument. "You're not actually supposed to be living here, you know. If you want us to continue letting you do that, you need to make us believe we're not making a mistake."

"Oh." The last thing he wanted was for them to kick him out. He opened his mouth to ask her to call him if anything changed only to stop when he remembered his phone wouldn't work here. "I guess I could go for a walk…" he said instead, trying not to sound as reluctant as he felt.

The nurse's expression softened and she sat down in one of the room's empty chairs. "Don't worry; I won't leave until you get back."

He nodded, thanked her, and trudged reluctantly out of the room. He wasn't hungry, not that he had any money to go out for food anyway. Besides, he'd already eaten a little of the food they'd had stowed away in the wizards' box that morning. Not that he could say anything about that. Well, he'd just take a quick walk around town and come back.

X

"It's about time! You've been spending way too much time in here," Kaito exclaimed as he drifted after the departing detective. He knew the other couldn't hear him, but by now he didn't particularly care if he got a response or not. Being a ghost, he'd discovered, was a real drag. The flying was nice, and the ability to walk through walls was awesome, but other than that there wasn't much going for it.

He'd spent most of his time watching the detective. Every time he thought he'd go and explore the city a bit, he'd take a look at the boy sitting alone in that quiet little room and he couldn't bring himself to leave.

It wasn't very logical, but it did get him thinking (which was really all he could do with his time). There was a feeling growing somewhere in his chest that he hadn't really paid any attention to until now. He couldn't really say for sure what it was or what it was becoming, but he had his suspicions. The question was what to do if he was right.

Letting his breath out in a quiet huff, he turned his attention back to the detective below him.

"There you are!" a familiar voice exclaimed brightly. "I swung by the hospital but you weren't there."

"Botan," he greeted the blue-haired grim reaper with a genuine grin. Finally! Someone who could hear him. He hadn't seen her since the day she'd dropped him off at the hospital. "Did you come to check on me Ojou-san?"

"Bingo!" she chirped, beaming. "So how have you been?"

The magician's grin turned a touch wry. "Let's just say I am _really_ looking forward to the day this egg hatches."

She laughed before looking down to where Shinichi was making his way along the sidewalk. "Have you been watching your brother this whole time then?"

"We're not related," Kaito replied automatically. "But yes. He does happen to be the only person around that I know."

"That's true." The girl paused, eyeing him with obvious curiosity.

Kaito raised an eyebrow, hiding his own amusement. "Yes? Did you have a question or is there something on my face?"

Botan smiled a bit sheepishly. "I was just wondering how you two ended up here. Not that you have to tell me or anything, but it's not every day we get visitors from other universes and all."

"It's a long story," Kaito replied, beginning to recount the tale. She was a very good listener, gasping and asking questions at all the right places. He was just explaining the concept of alchemy when she stiffened suddenly and looked down. Puzzled, he followed suit.

Below them, Shinichi had stopped at a crossroad. He seemed to be considering something.

"I think I sense something down that left hand road," Botan remarked, frowning. The words had no sooner left her mouth and Shinichi was turning left. "That's strange. Is it my imagination? Most people with high spirit awareness are good at sensing danger and avoiding it."

"You don't know Shinichi," Kaito chuckled, though he was feeling slightly uneasy. "He's programmed the other way around."

Botan glanced in the direction in which the detective was heading and her frown deepened. "I wonder if he's sensing the gang or the Raimonji…"

"Raimonji?" Kaito repeated. "What's that?"

Botan blinked as though just realizing she'd been speaking aloud. "Oh, well, it's a type of apparition. Spirit World Intelligence has determined that one of them is currently hiding in this area. We've been looking for it—that's where I've been mostly—but so far we haven't had much luck. It's kind of odd really," she added in a lower voice as though talking to herself. "We seem to be getting a lot of parasites lately, even if most of them are more common species."

"I take it that they're dangerous?"

Botan nodded grimly. "Yes. You see, they're a parasitic species of demon that are extremely skilled at hiding within other living creatures, taking them over from the inside and feeding off their host's life energy until they're nothing more than empty shells, at which point they move on to a new host. But that isn't what makes them difficult to deal with," she continued. "They can take pieces of themselves and put them in multiple hosts, which allows them to feed off lots of people at once—we call those the Feelers. Only the main host body is actually controlled though, which I suppose is a bit of a relief. The rest just fall ill, but unless the main body is destroyed they'll eventually die once they've been sucked dry, which takes about three weeks for an average human being. The most annoying part is if you destroy the main body and don't purge the Feelers, they can eventually develop into whole new Raimonji. We have a cure that can be used to purge an infected human of the Feelers but it's hard to make and I'm still waiting for the delivery." She heaved a sigh, shaking her head. "On top of that, we've had news that an apparition gang made it across the border from Demon World yesterday. It's all one big mess!"

She stopped talking abruptly, pink eyes going wide. "There _is_ a demon over there! I'll go get Yusuke," she said quickly, making a tight swerve on her oar and shooting off in another direction.

Kaito stared after her then picked up his own pace to catch up to Shinichi. He had no idea what had set the girl off or how she seemed to know what she did, but it didn't sound good. Again he cursed his current state, knowing that, whatever was happening, all he would be able to do would be to watch.

X

He had been out walking for nearly an hour according to the clocks he'd seen through various shop windows. Most of that time had been spent simply walking along the city streets. He had spent a few minutes browsing through a newspaper he'd found abandoned on the side of the street and noting how he didn't recognize the names of any of the police in the crime section before throwing it into a recycling bin. Deciding he'd been out long enough to satisfy any argument for the necessity of fresh air, he turned his steps back towards the hospital.

He had decided to take a different route back than the one he had taken on his way out since he was confident enough in his sense of direction to be sure he wouldn't get lost. Besides, since he was already here, he might as well get a feel for the area. It was a habit more than anything else but it gave his mind something to do.

It was strange how it could feel so quiet on a busy city street. Apparently some silences could be full of noise.

He had just turned into what appeared to be a neighborhood street when he saw a little boy come running around the corner. The boy's eyes were wide with terror and he was breathing heavily. There were scrapes on his knees and a bloody scratch on his face.

"Help!" he cried out the moment his eyes landed on Shinichi, but the word had no sooner left his mouth then a long, hairy blue arm tipped in wickedly curved talons lashed around the corner behind him and grasped at the back of his sweater.

A couple months ago that might have given Shinichi a moment's shocked pause. As it was, he lunged without hesitation and pulled the child away from the clawed arm as he kicked it hard in the wrist. The arm yanked back as an inhuman screech of anger tore the air and the arm's owner came barreling into sight. It was about the size of a large, grown man but its arms were twice the length of its body.

So this wasn't a normal world after all.

And that was probably not the right thing to be thinking about right now.

The monster—whatever it was—crouched and sprang forward, unbelievably long arms shooting out to seize the humans before it as its maw gaped hungrily open.

"Spirit gun!" a voice rang out and a blast of bright blue light blew past them, catching the monster full on. It let out a pained shriek and actually disintegrated. Moments later a teenage boy with gelled back hair came running up the street from behind them, eyes darting from side to side to check the surroundings as though he thought the creature might still be hiding somewhere.

"Huh, that was easy," he muttered to himself before raising his voice, apparently talking to thin air. "You think that was the Rai-what's-it?"

A short boy with black hair that stuck straight up like a flame and a black cloak appeared standing on the wall to the side of the street, glanced over the space where the monster had been, and snorted derisively. "Did that look like a parasite to you? It was just some third rate weakling out for a meal. This was a complete waste of my time." That said, he turned and vanished as abruptly as he had appeared.

The boy with the gelled hair snorted before turning his attention to Shinichi and the child. "Hey, you two okay?"

"I'm fine," Shinichi replied before kneeling down to check the boy. "Are you hurt?"

The boy shook his head, eyes still wide as he stared at the spot where the monster had been. He was still trembling but aside from some minor cuts and scrapes he appeared to be unharmed.

"That's good," their rescuer said before his head swiveled around as though he'd heard something. He frowned and broke into a sprint. "You two should go home!" he called back over his shoulder before he disappeared around a corner.

Shinichi and the child stared after him for a moment before trading similarly befuddled looks.

"Come on," Shinichi said finally, standing up. "Your parents must be worried about you. I'll walk you home."

X

So that was an apparition. Sitting upside down in midair, Kaito allowed himself a scowl. He had not enjoyed going right through the thing when he'd instinctively tried to intercept it. And then watching someone else fix the problem with what looked like no effort at all… Well, it was just another item to add to the growing list of reasons why being a ghost was irritating. He'd always been a man of action, so being forced to do nothing was making him feel restless.

Botan had caught up to him as he was following Shinichi back to the hospital after the detective had walked the child home. She had stayed only long enough to confirm they were both okay however before excusing herself to go back to work. Now they were back in the hospital.

Shinichi had fallen asleep on top of the covers of the empty second bed in Kaito's hospital room. The nurse on night shift had brought in an extra blanket to cover him with instead of trying to move him under the covers for fear of disturbing him.

Kaito had noticed that Shinichi had a tendency to frown in his sleep. It bothered him.

Pulling a face at his lack of reflection in the window, Kaito propped his chin in his palm.

"You know Tantei-kun, I guess I have to apologize," he said, watching the detective's sleeping face. "I never meant to make you so sad. But you know…I think I might be a little glad too, to know that you would miss me. I'm sorry about that too. It's probably not very nice of me, huh? It's just that…" He paused, running a distracted hand through his wild, brown hair. "You know, despite everything, I've had a lot of fun these last months. I guess you might not agree with me, but I think you've had fun too in your own way. I…don't get to do this very often, just being me. No secrets or anything. I'm sure you understand. I suppose I'm only saying this now because I know you can't hear me. But thank you."

"I promise you, when I get back, I'll make sure you never have that look on your face again. But until then, you're going to have to wait for me."

X

It had been one week.

It felt more like a year. A year of frozen time where nothing changed. Every moment was just as still and silent as the last, marked only by the changing color of the sky.

If it hadn't been for the nurse, Shirayuki Kari, he would probably have spent all that time in the hospital room, hoping—praying to whatever powers were out there—that Kaito would wake up (because he couldn't imagine the future without the magician in it, and frankly he didn't want to). Since that first time, she had made a point of sending the detective out at least once a day. Sometimes she asked him to run errands and he'd found himself doing a few odd jobs around the hospital. She had been kind enough to lend him her cell phone during those lunch hours when she sent him 'out for some fresh air', saying she could use the hospital phone and he could just give it back when he returned.

"I don't use it much myself," she'd told him. "So it's unlikely anyone will be trying to call me while you have it. But if someone does, just tell them to call back later."

At other times, during short breaks and before and after shifts, she would come simply to talk to him. Sometimes she asked questions, but mostly she would talk and he would listen.

She told him about her son who was off at university now, studying zoology, and about her husband, who was on a business trip to Taiwan. At other times she told him about the other people who worked at the hospital. Just little stories and anecdotes that he suspected were meant to try and cheer him up.

"Mina's favorite flower is the lily—oh, she's one of the new nurses here," she would tell him. "Well, she used to like to bring lilies for patients who were feeling down. But of course lilies are used as a funeral flower in some places. So a lot of patients just got more depressed when she brought them and she had no idea why until Chiba-sensei explained it to her. Now she carries around a little booklet about how different flowers are used in different cultures. She's made a hobby of trying to find the most appropriate flower for each person."

"There's a virus going around," she'd told him another time, sounding tired and more than a little relieved to be sitting down. "Everyone's feeling stressed and on edge. Okubo-sensei—he's the one with the rectangular glasses—actually threw a fit the other day because one of the nurses put lemon in his water. And I've lost count of the number of arguments I've had to break up! I tell you, people need sleep, they really do. It's amazing how many perfectly nice people can turn into total grouches without it."

Once she asked him about 'their parents', her eyes full of a mother's concern and questions he knew she both wanted and didn't want to ask.

"They're…not here," he answered after a long moment of consideration. It was true, but he felt a bit guilty for he knew—could tell from her expression—that she would take the words and assume the worst.

Life at the hospital was becoming routine. He didn't like that very much, but he couldn't complain. Whenever he was out, he kept an eye open for any more odd monsters, but he hadn't seen any since that bizarre first walk. Nor had he seen the boy who had vaporized it.

There were times though when he thought he saw—something out of the corners of his eyes. Flashes of motion and shadows of things that weren't there. Sometimes in his sleep he would swear he heard voices, but his dreams were jumbled and he could never quite make out what they were saying.

He was out on another walk when his borrowed cell phone rang for the first time ever while it was in his care.

"Moshi—"

"He woke up!" Kari-san's voice exclaimed before he could finish the greeting. The words rang in his ears and echoed through his head, repeating themselves over and over again, and he was running before he had consciously registered what they meant.

He had wandered a little farther from the hospital than he usually did on these excursions and it took him nearly forty five minutes to get back. Racing past the front desk, he bypassed the elevator in favor of the stairs. Taking the steps two at a time, he nearly tripped over the last one before skidding out into a white hallway and sprinting along the familiar path to Kaito's room.

The door flew open a split second before he could reach it and something came catapulting out of it. All the air left his lungs in a yelp of surprise and stars flashed across his vision as he hit the ground. It took a moment for him to recollect his wits through the ringing in his ears. When it had he discovered that he was flat on his back (so it was the floor responsible for that growing headache), staring up into Kaito's grinning—_alive_—face. He opened his mouth to say something but the words stuck in his throat and he noticed with growing horror that the edges of his vision were blurring. Was he crying? That was just embarrassing, but he couldn't seem to do anything about it. At the same time he kind of wanted to strangle the stupid magician for actually coming so close to _dying_ (he also wanted to lodge a complaint about the possible concussion the thief's current idea of 'hello' might have given him).

"I'm back~!" the magician declared, grinning fit to split his face in two. "So did you miss me?" He waited a moment, still grinning, but the grin faded when he noticed that Shinichi wasn't reacting. "Shinichi? Hey, are you all right?"

Scrambling to his feet, he pulled the detective up and checked him over for any injuries. Shinichi blushed and tried to bat the magician's hands away. The magician was far too close for comfort, but he was alive and awake and Shinichi was far too grateful for that to care at the moment.

"Stop that. You're the one with the broken bones!"

"Not anymore," Kaito replied cheerfully.

"What do you mean _not anymore_? It's only been a week! Bones don't heal that fast!"

"Just call it a miracle~!"

"And what are you doing out of bed?" the detective continued, leveling an accusing finger at his chest.

"I'm _fine_, see?" He waved his arms around for emphasis, showing how all his bandages had been removed. Then he performed a perfect handspring. "You see? Could a person with broken bones do that?"

Shinichi stared. "But…how?"

Kaito just smirked. "I'll tell you about it later. It's a bit of a long story. The important thing is the doctor said I'm good to go. Although I think he might still be in shock."

"No wonder," Shinichi muttered, more than a touch dazed himself. His shoulders sagged a little as he looked around the hospital corridor, feeling suddenly at a loss. Was this really happening? "I suppose we should go thank everyone before we go then."

"Hold on a moment. There's something I have to do first."

Taken aback by the sudden turn into serious that the magician's demeanor had taken, Shinichi nodded—then yelped when Kaito yanked him into a tight embrace. He froze, not at all sure how he was supposed to react. But then Kaito had pulled away and was looking at him with an expression he couldn't put a name to.

"What—what was that for?"

"I'm sorry I worried you," the magician said seriously.

Shinichi stared for a moment before he had to look away. "You don't have to apologize. It wasn't your fault. If—if anything, I should be thanking you. If you hadn't…"

Warm fingers came to rest on his chin and turned him gently so that he had to look the magician in the eyes.

"You don't have to thank me. You would have done the same if you had been in my position. So let's just be glad that's over and stop dwelling on it all right?"

Shinichi stared into those earnest, indigo eyes for a long moment before nodding, not trusting himself to speak.

"Good. Now come on, let's go bid our farewells and find something to eat. I'm starving and you look like you've lost weight—which, considering I'm the one who's been getting my nutrition in liquid form, doesn't speak well for your eating habits these last few days."

X

A corner of Shinichi's mind wondered at the way the magician seemed to know exactly where he was going, but the rest of him was still too busy wondering if this was a dream to care. But the hand pulling him along felt too solid to be a dream. And if this wasn't a dream, then that meant…

Eyes lighting up as he spotted what he was looking for, Kaito dragged his companion through the front doors of what smelled like a ramen house. Releasing Shinichi, he made a beeline to the man behind the counter, bright, friendly smile already in place.

"Hello Sir! You wouldn't happen to be the owner of this establishment, would you?"

"Yes I am," the man replied, eyeing the two boys curiously. "Can I help you?"

"Could we trade you a magic show for a meal? I promise you won't regret it."

The man blinked then laughed heartily. "I like your spirit. All right. Deal."

To both their surprise, the man told them to take seats at one of the empty tables and brought them two large bowls of ramen.

He must have guessed their thoughts for he laughed. "Can't work on an empty stomach, right? Besides, it's still early. There'll be more people if you wait a little. I'm sure that would be more fun for you."

"I knew I liked the look of this place," the magician said with a triumphant grin as the man left with their orders. Turning back to his companion, he found the detective staring at him like he still couldn't believe his eyes. He held the other's gaze until Shinichi glanced away. Sighing mentally, he picked up the teapot that had been set on their table and poured them each a cup of tea.

"Hey, Kaito," Shinichi said hesitantly, now looking at a point somewhere above and behind the magician's left shoulder with an increasingly puzzled expression. "What's that?"

Kaito followed the line of his gaze to see a ball of light hovering beside his head. He studied it for a moment then smiled. He recognized that feeling.

"This little guy was the one who helped me."

"So you _can_ see it?" Shinichi asked, relieved.

"Yeah, of course."

"And…you said it helped you?"

"That's right. You see, after the accident, I met this girl who introduced me to her boss," he explained, launching into a detailed description of what he'd seen and been told while in Spirit World. "And when this little guy hatched, there was this really bright light and I woke up in the hospital."

Shinichi stared at the light for a moment longer before turning back to Kaito. "That's an animal?"

The magician glanced again at the light hovering by his shoulder and shrugged. "Well, it has eyes."

The light bobbed as though in agreement. Now that Shinichi was looking, he saw that it did indeed have eyes. Sharp, amber ones.

"So…does it have a name?"

The light and Kaito looked at each other again. "Not that I know of."

"I guess it should share your name then, it being representative of you and all."

"Oh no, no way am I sharing my name," Kaito declared, drawing himself up in (mock?) indignation. "There's only one Kuroba Kaito in the universes and that's me. Besides, I'm sure he wouldn't want to share a name with me either, isn't that right?"

The light bobbed vigorously.

"You see? Let's call him Kishiro, that was the name of my first dove." His smile turned sad for a moment but the look was gone almost before Shinichi had registered it. "He was one of my best too. But enough of that. I'm surprised, Shinichi. _That_'s what you want to ask me about after hearing my story?"

"Well, there isn't really much to ask questions about," the detective replied, lips quirking up in amusement. "I mean, after everything we've seen, there's no reason not to believe everything you just said could be true."

The magician laughed. "I can't argue with that. So did you find the gem yet?" he asked despite knowing the answer already. He'd considered telling the detective that he'd been watching him this whole time while waiting for the egg to hatch, but decided against it.

"The ge—oh, uh…" To be entirely honest, he'd forgotten all about the gem since the first screech of those tires. "I…kind of didn't look." Suddenly he stiffened, eyes widening. "Your doves! They won't know we've left the hospital."

"Hmm, that is a bit of a problem. Do you know if Aome's with them?"

"She might be. They always came back together anyway."

"All right then. I'm sure she'll show them where to go. If not, they're trained to come looking for me. We just have to be sure to be visible wherever we are this evening."

"Well, there's a pretty good park not too far from here that we might be able to camp out in for tonight." He paused, looking to where the ramen house owner was shifting tables. "I think they're making your stage."

"That's thoughtful of them. I guess I should go see what I have to work with." He stood up and hesitated, looking back at Shinichi with an odd expression in his eyes that the detective couldn't identify, and Shinichi thought he was about to say something. But instead he turned and proceeded to leap over several startled heads. It was like he was trying to make up for having been still for so long by being extra energetic.

It wasn't until the moment he saw Kaito bound onto the makeshift stage to the scattered applause of the ramen shop's patrons that it really struck him that this was real. Relief flooded through him and he sagged in his seat with the weight of it.

He wasn't dreaming.

X

It was both a relief and an exhilaration to finally be able to perform again. To see the wonder in the faces of his audience and hear their gasps of awe. He loved being visible again—to have mass and weight and be heard by the people he was talking to. Performing impossible feats wasn't any fun when there was no one to see you.

This was how things were supposed to be.

When he got back to his seat, he found that Shinichi had fallen asleep with his head on the table. Considering the way the detective had been struggling to keep his eyes open earlier, he wasn't particularly surprised. He was a little disappointed that Shinichi hadn't watched the whole show through, but he definitely needed the rest.

"You've got a good future ahead of you kid," the owner said with a smile as he came to collect their bowls. "You're welcome to come again any time. I'm sure my daughter and her friends would love to watch you perform."

"Thank you, I might take you up on that offer some time." Kaito watched the man bustle off before turning back to his sleeping companion. A good future huh? What would the man have said if he knew where his guests had come from and where they were going? Would he have said the same? Maybe he would have, Kaito mused, after all, there was no reason for it not to be so. It would be different, certainly—nothing at all like what the ramen shop owner probably had in mind—but it could be good too.

A light drifted up beside his face and he smiled faintly. "I suppose it's time we got going. Let's see if I remember the way to that park then."

X

_ He dreamed that he was floating somewhere high in the sky. The ground was so far below him that it was nothing more than a green and brown blur where it could be seen at all through the gauzy veils of white cloud swirling gently beneath him. It was truly an incredible sight._

_ A corner of his mind wondered when he would start falling. Gravity was taking an unusually long time about its business, but surely it would realize its lapse in time. And yet the thought didn't make him feel nervous. It was far too peaceful up here for anxiety. Up here, nothing could touch him…_

He woke to the sound of flapping wings. Blue eyes blinked open slowly to stare up into the underside of a leafy canopy through which bits of blue sky peeked. The tip of a white wing brushed past his field of vision and he turned his head automatically to follow the motion.

He was lying on the grass at the base of a large tree. He recognized the place as the park he'd found on one of his walks. The wing he'd seen belonged to the last of the six doves who were now crowding around Kaito, cooing happily at the sight of their master awake.

Pushing himself into a sitting position, Shinichi watched the magician greet each bird individually. He smiled a little to himself at the sight. The magician was obviously just as happy to see his birds as they were to see him.

The ball of light was floating a little distance from the reunion, apparently watching the scene with interest. It flew closer as Kaito finished his greetings and several pairs of beady eyes turned, attracted by the glow. The spirit beast peered back at the doves with equal curiosity, then its outline shifted. Beams of light twisted and wove together, solidifying, and suddenly there were seven doves instead of six. Only one of them felt…_different_ to Shinichi. Kaito had told him the names of all his doves a while ago, but for the most part they all looked the same to Shinichi. This one however he knew he wasn't going to be able to mistake for any of the others. How that was, he couldn't say for the life of him, but nevertheless he _knew_ it was true.

"Wow, I didn't know he could do that," Kaito noted, leaning over to peer more closely at the now-bird.

Shinichi snorted. "That figures. Anything representing you has to have multiple faces."

The magician laughed, reaching out to stroke the now-dove. "Indeed. So did you sleep well?"

Shinichi nodded, taking another look around. "How long was I asleep? And how did we get here?"

"A few hours, and I carried you here," Kaito replied cheerfully, coming to sit beside him. The birds waddled around, examining their new flock-mate with interest. "And before you ask, I didn't wake you up because you look like you could really use the sleep."

"Oh…" That was embarrassing. Although he'd be hard pressed to decide which was worse: falling asleep in the restaurant or being carried through the streets like a child. "Thanks, I guess."

A little distance away, Aome seemed to be having a staring contest with Kishiro as the rest of the doves looked on.

"You're welcome."

"You don't think they're going to fight, do you?"

Kaito blinked in confusion before following the detective's gaze to the two dove lookalikes. "Nah. I think they're just trying to figure out what each other are. I'm sure they can both tell that neither of them are really doves."

"Maybe once they've figured each other out they can tell us about it," the detective muttered, flopping back onto the grass and throwing an arm over his eyes. His breath left him in a drawn out sigh. He was still tired, but not in the same limbs-of-lead way that he'd been earlier.

"Are you all right?"

Letting his arm slide down a bit Shinichi cracked open his eyes to see Kaito looking down at him with visible concern. He swallowed, that lingering hint of remembered dread creeping up in him again like an echo through time.

"I'm fine," he said finally. "Just thinking."

He got a skeptical look in return before the magician's eyes softened. Once again he had the feeling that the magician was about to say something. Then Kaito was looking away from him, and he wondered if he'd just been imagining it.

Suddenly the magician bounded to his feet and began to wave. Startled, Shinichi sat up and looked around to see a blue-haired girl in a sweater and jeans jogging towards them.

"Hey, fancy meeting you here," she greeted Kaito like they were old friends.

"Indeed," the magician agreed. "I didn't realize I'd still be able to see you."

"Some things can be a bit hard to do when no one can see you," the girl replied with a dismissive wave.

"I can certainly vouch for that," the magician agreed. "Shinichi, this is Botan, the girl I told you about."

"It's nice to meet you," Shinichi said, getting quickly to his feet and bowing to the girl. "And thank you for your help."

"Oh, it was nothing," Botan replied, beaming at him. "I was glad to be of service! And really, it's all part of my job anyway. I'm just glad it seems like everything turned out okay for you two. But what are you two doing here?"

Kaito shrugged. "We were thinking we'd spend the night unless someone kicks us out first."

The girl's expression grew concerned. "That doesn't sound very comfortable. You know," she continued, tapping her chin. "I'm pretty sure Master Genkai wouldn't mind if you two stayed over at her place for a few days. I could ask her for you if you'd like."

Shinichi and Kaito traded looks. "We would appreciate it, if it's not too much trouble."

"No trouble at all," Botan assured him. "Just give me a moment… You see, I was tracking the energy signature from one of the apparitions we've been looking for," she explained, holding up what looked like a compass. "We've all split up to look since there are so many of them this time. I don't understand though. I've been tracking this one for hours and now the demon compass says it's right here but I don't see…" the girl murmured, frowning as she took another look around the park. "Unless…"

All three humans looked up at the same time—just as something green and toothy dropped straight down towards them from the branches overhead.

Kaito couldn't say afterward exactly what happened then. For an instant it was absolute chaos. Rough, green-scaled limbs blurred together with gleaming teeth and yellow eyes. Feathers flew as birds scattered in every direction. There were yells and a ferocious growling filled his ears. And all Kaito could think was that now was so _not_ the time for another damned accident. _No way_. He was NOT going to let that happen! Then there was a strange sensation—a rush of something like heat or electricity—and his entire vision filled with a blinding, white light and his ears filled with a deafening, electric crackling.

There was a high pitched squeal of pain so loud he thought he might actually go deaf.

An instant later the creature fled, leaving behind it a scene like a wax tableau designed to depict shock.

Kaito stared after it until it was gone before looking down at his own hands. They looked…perfectly normal, but he could still remember that ghostly sensation—a tingling warmth and a feeling like adrenaline racing through his veins. The air now smelled of ozone.

"What did you do?" Shinichi's voice cracked the silence as he slowly picked himself up off the grass where he had fallen.

"I…wish I knew."

"Well, that clinches it," Botan remarked, sounding only mildly surprised. "You definitely have to go see Master Genkai now."

X

According to Botan, this 'Master Genkai' was a highly skilled psychic—possibly the most skilled of all living human psychics in fact.

"Does that mean she can read minds?" Kaito had asked, to which the grim reaper had laughed.

"She's a psychic, not a telepath," she'd said as though that explained everything. Which it didn't, not exactly, but they had come to expect that kind of thing from other-worldly explanations. Even when they all spoke the same language, it was inevitable that some terminology or thought processes worked differently.

Botan proceeded to recount stories of the renowned psychic and it soon became apparent that, whatever else she might be, the woman they were about to see was a master martial artist. She might have started sounding rather intimidating too if the two of them hadn't been through too much to be intimidated easily. Still, Shinichi listened carefully to the stories as the three of them made their way up what was starting to feel like an endless staircase. The incident at the park was still fresh in his memory and he couldn't help but notice how many times the term 'spirit energy' came up in Botan's stories. From what he had gathered, it seemed to be something everyone had to varying degrees, but it sounded like psychics were those people who could make use of it. Every now and then he would glance over at Kaito, wondering what the magician was thinking, but as usual it was impossible to say for sure.

Their destination was a sprawling temple complex seated at the top of the stairs. Forests cloaked the surrounding mountainsides in bristling, dark green leaves. The complex itself appeared to be deserted. It wasn't until Botan had led them into one of the complex's inner courtyards that they finally saw someone.

The old woman with wavy gray hair looked up from the cup of tea she had been drinking on the veranda when she heard them approach. Her eyes were sharp and impassive.

"I didn't know I was expecting guests," she remarked dryly.

"Sorry to drop in on you like this Master Genkai," Botan apologized. "But these two needed a place to stay—they're the visitors I mentioned before—and so I thought that maybe they could stay here for a while."

The old woman looked them over again before taking another sip of her tea. "Sure, why not."

X

The first gray fingers of dawn were just beginning to creep across the sky when Kaito woke the following morning. Unsurprisingly, Shinichi was still sleeping, and Kaito wasn't about to disturb him. Not when he knew how little real rest the detective had gotten over the past week. He on the other hand had had _way_ too much of being still. So he spent a moment observing the detective's sleeping face before making his way outside to feed his doves.

He had just sat down to the task when he noticed a small girl in a blue kimono watching him from across the courtyard. Her hair was just as blue as her kimono. Was blue hair common in this world then? Her large, dark red eyes were trained on the birds shuffling around him, waiting for their breakfast.

"Would you like to help me feed them?" he asked, raising his voice just enough for it to carry across the courtyard.

The girl's eyes lit up at the question and she took a shy step closer. "Can I really?"

"Of course."

Beaming, she crossed the yard to sit with him. Kaito gave her a handful of the food he'd prepared for the birds. He could feel someone watching them as he introduced her to his flock. As he talked, he cast a surreptitious glance around at their surroundings. He thought he might have caught a glimpse of something hidden behind the leafy boughs of the trees surrounding the temple, but he couldn't be entirely sure. A few minutes later the feeling was gone.

And that was why, when Shinichi woke, he found the magician in the midst of telling the petit girl about what sounded like the heist he'd pulled back in that world with the other phantom thief. He was describing his 'exhibits' and the stranger was laughing (though she sounded a little like she might feel guilty for finding the plight of the men in question amusing).

"Ah, good morning Shinichi," Kaito said when he saw the detective approach. "This is Yukina. She's living here at the temple while she looks for her brother. Miss Yukina, this is my friend Kudo Shinichi. He's a detective."

"Oh!" Her eyes lit up with understanding. "Do you also work for Koenma then?"

The travelers both blinked in surprised confusion before Shinichi cleared his throat. "Actually I usually work with the police…"

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make assumptions. I guess I just thought maybe you were one of Yusuke and Kazuma's friends."

"Botan mentioned someone called Yusuke to me the other day," Kaito recalled. "She didn't mention he was a detective." He'd been under the impression this Yusuke person was something more like a demon hunter.

"He's the Earth's spirit detective," the girl explained.

Shinichi turned this over in his mind, wondering if he'd heard that right. "So…does that mean he solves cases for spirits?"

It was Yukina's turn to blink before she started giggling, leaving Shinichi wondering what he'd said that was so funny. Either way it probably meant he was wrong.

"You three certainly seem to be having fun," a dry voice remarked. It was a voice they all recognized.

"Good morning," the three of them chorused as the old woman came to a stop in front of them.

"Good morning." She turned her gaze to Kaito. "Botan tells me you've recently started harnessing your spirit energy."

He blinked back at her. "I have?"

"Hn, so that's how it is." She eyed the magician up and down with piercing eyes that seemed to be looking right through him. He smiled pleasantly back at her, Poker Face firmly in place.

"Come with me." The little, old lady turned abruptly on her heels and marched off. Kaito cast Shinichi a look with raised eyebrows before getting up to go after her.

Yukina and Shinichi watched them go, the latter wondering if he should go with them. But Yukina spoke up before he could.

"You're new here right? Would you like me to show you around?" she offered. "The temple is kind of large. It can be a little hard getting to know where everything is."

Casting one last look after the magician's departing back, he nodded. "I would appreciate it. Thank you."

X

Kaito didn't reappear until nearly lunchtime. By then Shinichi was beginning to feel distinctly antsy. He had actually gone looking for the magician but all he'd found were empty rooms (including one that looked an awful lot like an arcade). In the end he'd had to content himself with Kishiro's company (Aome having been sent out) until the spirit beast decided that it wanted to try out being a squirrel and ran off.

"I am starving!" the magician declared upon his reappearance. "So where do you think we should get lunch?"

"Yukina-san said she was making it," Shinichi replied, standing up and gesturing for Kaito to follow him. The magician did so with a cheer and a cartwheel, earning himself a quizzical look from his companion. "What are you doing?"

"Making use of gravity," Kaito replied, taking his next few steps on his hands before flipping upright again. "And the fact that I have mass."

"Oookay… So what exactly were you doing all morning?" Shinichi asked curiously as he led the way towards the dining room.

"Well, Genkai-san explained a bit more about this energy thing they keep talking about. That took maybe ten minutes. And then she made me _meditate_ the whole time after that." Kaito grimaced. "Do you have any idea how _boring_ meditating is?"

Shinichi hid a grin. "No, I don't, but I think I can guess judging from your tone of voice." He hesitated a moment, glancing up at the magician's face out of the corner of his eye. "Is it difficult?"

"What, meditating? I guess that would depend on opinion. Does it being hard not to fall asleep count as difficult?"

"No, not that. What I meant was…" He trailed off as they came up to the dining room door as he tried to find the words for what he wanted to ask. He was distracted however by the sound of unfamiliar voices speaking from inside the room they were about to enter. They were slightly muffled by the intervening walls but the words were still fairly easy to make out.

"Why can't the shrimp just use his Jagan thing to find this guy?" a voice neither of them recognized was asking.

"We've gone over this before," Botan's voice replied. "The parasite's not very powerful offensively, so it's mastered the art of concealing its own energy with that of its host so that it appears completely human."

"Oh."

"Hn. Fool."

"Hey! It was a reasonable question!"

"And don't we still have that apparition gang thing to deal with too? I mean, we got seven of them, so that leaves two we still have to find," a new voice that struck Shinichi as vaguely familiar spoke up. "Man, what did they do, let a whole invasion force across the border or something?"

"One moment," a fifth, much calmer voice cut into the conversation moments before the door slid abruptly open. The travelers found themselves suddenly at the center of attention of five pairs of eyes. Four of them tensed.

"What the—who're you?" a tall boy with short, orange hair and rather rough features exclaimed in surprise.

"Hey, haven't I seen you before?" the boy with the gelled black hair asked at almost the same time, looking Shinichi over.

"What? You know who they are Urameshi?" the first speaker demanded, turning to his companion who rolled his eyes.

"No, I just saw him on the street the other day."

"Actually, these two are the guests I told you guys about a week ago," Botan interjected. "Master Genkai's letting them stay here for a while."

"Oh, well, in that case, welcome to Earth I guess," the one called Urameshi stated, offering the two a lazy wave of greeting.

"Um, we're not from another planet," Shinichi found himself saying even though he knew it was irrelevant information. A desire for accuracy, however, was a bit of a habit. "Just a parallel universe."

There was a beat of silence during which everyone stared at him. Then everyone except the short, black-haired boy burst into laughter.

Introductions were made by Botan once everyone had settled down. Shinichi had to admit he was surprised to discover that the detective Yukina had mentioned and the boy with the gelled hair he'd seen that day he'd met the first monster in this world were one and the same. His name was Urameshi Yusuke and it turned out he was also Genkai's student and successor. The one with the orange hair who had asked Yusuke if he knew them was Kuwabara Kazuma. Then there was the calm, redheaded boy who had exposed his and Kaito's presence outside the door. He said his name was Minamino Shuichi but for whatever reason he told them to call him Kurama. That left the short one who didn't seem to like to talk. He didn't bother giving his name, but Kurama said it was Hiei. Shinichi couldn't help but notice that the boy was carrying a real sword, but no one else seemed to care.

Then Yukina came in to announce that lunch was ready. Kuwabara immediately leaped to his feet and offered to help her bring everything in. Behind his back Yusuke snickered and Kurama hid a smile behind his teacup. They all had lunch together after that, joined by Genkai. It was a rather noisy event. Listening to the jibes being thrown around the room and the laughter that bubbled up amidst it all, Shinichi thought it felt oddly like a large family reunion (the nice kind anyway, not the kind he usually saw where everyone was secretly glaring out of the corners of their eyes at everyone else before somebody inevitably dropped dead). But all the noise also made it so that he couldn't help but notice how quiet Kaito was being. He was still talking and cracking jokes, answering the questions their curious new acquaintances were asking, but he had yet to pull any magic tricks and it felt to Shinichi like the magician's mind was elsewhere. And whatever was on Kaito's mind seemed to have something to do with him because every now and then Shinichi would glance over to find the magician watching him.

Yukina had brought out a plate of oranges to serve for desert when Botan snapped her fingers. "I just remembered! Raimonji hate citrus fruits."

"Well that's useful information," Yusuke said sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

Botan shot him a disgruntled look. "I just thought I should mention it."

"Um, what are they talking about?" Shinichi wondered aloud, turning to the person to his immediate right.

"Oh, it's the parasite demon we've been looking for," Kuwabara replied with a shrug.

"Oh." Apparently that was all the explanation the guy thought necessary. He glanced towards Kaito again and this time caught the magician's gaze. This time he could almost point out the exact moment that Kaito's expression morphed into that perpetual grin that didn't mean anything.

"Botan told me about it before. I'll explain later," he said as though that was what he had been thinking about, though Shinichi was pretty sure it wasn't. Now, however, wasn't the time to call him out on it.

X

"So what do you think of them?"

"They seem pretty cool," Kuwabara replied. "Why? Is there something wrong Kurama?"

The redhead shook his head, green eyes thoughtful. "No." It was simply rare that he met anyone he couldn't read.

"That's good. I thought for a moment there you were gonna say they were really demons in disguise or something. The bad kind I mean," he added hastily, scratching at the back of his head as he remembered who (or rather what) he was talking to.

"They're all right," Yusuke declared, folding his arms behind his head.

"Hey, you guys wanna swing by the arcade or something?"

Yusuke waved him away. "Nah. I think I'll head home. Maybe watch some TV." Stuffing his hands into his pockets, he turned his steps towards his house.

Kuwabara watched him go with a frown. "Man, Urameshi's been acting weird lately."

Kurama made a thoughtful noise in the back of his throat then turned in the other direction. "I will be taking my leave as well. Good night."

"Night."

X

It was well into the night by the time they made it to their guest room. Shinichi sat down on his futon with a sigh of relief as Kaito set off on a check of the room's perimeters. "Can you open the window?"

The magician paused in his examination of the far wall. "Are you hot?"

"No, I just thought you'd want to let Kishiro in."

Kaito glanced out the window but as far as he could tell there wasn't anything there. Shrugging, he moved to open the window anyway. A moment later a tiny sparrow emerged from the leaves of the bush outside and hopped inside. Once it was on the sill, it shook itself and turned into a dove. Kaito gave it a bemused look before shutting the window again.

"How did you know he was there?"

Shinichi hesitated, glanced at the dove now preening itself on the windowsill, then shook his head, looking slightly uneasy. "I don't know. I just…did."

Kaito studied the detective's face then changed the subject. "You know how I picked up some extra stuff with the money we had left over last time?"

"You mean the candy and toys?"

"Yep. Well, I had this idea when I saw them that I think might be worth trying…"

X

Raising the tiny, wooden rocking horse to the sunlight, Shinichi looked it over carefully from muzzle to tail. Locating the production label carved into the curve of the rocker, he began to sand the words off. He might have felt bad about it if it hadn't been for a good cause. They didn't want to leave evidence scattered across the universes of companies that didn't exist after all.

The sound of footsteps and shifting cloth announced that someone had joined him on the veranda. Setting aside the sandpaper, he brushed the remaining sawdust off of the toy and glanced over at his company.

Genkai met his gaze over a cup of tea. "I have a question for you."

Shinichi nodded. "What is it?"

"Have either of you been to Mushiyori City?"

Shinichi shook his head. "We haven't been here that long, and we've spent all that time in this area."

The old woman nodded.

"Would you mind if I asked you why you want to know?"

"I don't like to make assumptions."

"Ah." He could understand that. He glanced across the courtyard to where Kaito was sitting under a large tree. "How's Kaito doing?"

"His energy is extremely versatile. It seems he can actually convert it into other forms."

Shinichi nodded slowly, gaze dropping back to the now unmarked rocking horse. Setting it aside, he picked up the cat and bell keychain next to it.

"What about you?" she asked suddenly.

"What about me?"

Sharp eyes studied his face for several moments before the old woman answered. "With your level of spirit awareness, you should be able to harness your own energy without too much trouble. But you're afraid of it, aren't you?"

It didn't sound like a question so much as it did a statement. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

"Power is most dangerous when you do not understand it."

Surprised, he looked up to see Genkai already walking away.

X

Shinichi raised a hand to shield his eyes from the morning sun as he scanned the street. Picking out a restaurant he recognized, he turned the corner and continued walking, already searching for the next landmark. Kaito had once again been hauled off by Genkai that morning for training and Shinichi had decided to head back to the hospital to check up on a theory that had been circling around in his mind since he'd heard about this demon parasite creature. A few blocks later the hospital came into view. He was in luck as he immediately spotted someone he recognized.

"Kari-san!" he called, waving to her.

The nurse in question glanced up from where she'd been eating a bento outside the hospital building and smiled. "Shinichi-kun, it's good to see you. How have you been?"

"I'm okay," he replied, a genuine smile surfacing in response to hers. "How about you?"

"I can't complain," the woman replied. "That virus is still going around it seems, but at least there hasn't been anything new."

"That reminds me, you know the doctor you said who got upset over having lemon juice added to his water?"

"You mean Okubo-sensei?"

Shinichi nodded. "Yeah. Has he always disliked having his water that way?"

The nurse's expression grew thoughtful if a little confused. "Now that you mention it, I'm pretty sure he told me he liked the taste of lemons when I first started working here. It was only about two and a half weeks ago that he stopped adding lemon slices to his water. I think maybe it's just the stress getting to him. Stress can do strange things to people, and he's the one who's been dealing most with the virus victims. Considering we still haven't found an effective cure, it's not really all that surprising that he'd be upset."

"I see."

Kari sighed, shaking her head. "But all we can do is do our best and hope things work out."

Blue eyes grew a little distant at the comment. "That's true."

"So tell me what you've been up to," the nurse said, changing the subject. "How's Kaito-kun doing? Everyone's still talking about how miraculous his recovery was."

Shinichi had to laugh at that. "I'm sure he'd be thrilled to hear it."

X

When Shinichi returned to the temple it was to the sight of Kaito bounding over the temple rooftops with the petit form of Genkai hot on his heels. She was throwing what looked like balls of energy after him. Shinichi watched the bizarre seen from the top of the steps, wondering if maybe he should leave and come back later when it didn't look like a war zone.

"Your friend's agility is impressive," a voice remarked from beside him.

Shinichi glanced towards it to meet Kurama's calm, green gaze. The redhead's lips were quirked up at the corners in amusement.

"He gets a lot of practice," he replied. "But what are they doing?"

"I believe the idea was supposed to be in blocking spirit energy with spirit energy. An exercise in analysis and control."

As if to illustrate his point, they both heard Genkai's harsh demand of, "Are you going to run all day or are you going to stand and fight?"

"But Ojou-san, with you attacking me like that it's only natural that I get out of the way," Kaito's voice called back. "It's kind of a reflex, you know? More efficient too!"

"He shouldn't have said that," Yusuke's voice reached the two spectators' ears as he came up the steps behind them. "Next time Grandma'll have him practicing with his back to a corner."

"There's something I wanted to talk to you about," Shinichi began, turning his attention to the two teenagers, but he was cut off before he could get any further.

"Incoming," Kurama warned and all three of them ducked as a crackling ball of power whizzed past over their heads. Once it was gone the redhead stood and gestured towards the temple proper. "Perhaps we should relocate indoors."

X

"So there was something you wished to speak to us about?" Kurama inquired once they had safely entered the building.

Shinichi nodded. "Remember how Botan-san mentioned that the parasite has a strong aversion to citrus fruits?"

Yusuke nodded. "Yeah, what of it?"

"There's a doctor at the hospital we were staying at who recently developed a hatred for all things lemon despite having liked them for years," Shinichi explained. "He's also been spending a lot of time with the patients who you guys said are probably the ones the parasite infected."

"So you're suggesting that the doc's the main host."

"That would make sense," Kurama mused, looking thoughtful. "Being a doctor would give it easy access to a large number of relatively defenseless humans. It would also give it an excuse to be near them without arousing suspicion." Green eyes turned to Yusuke. "I believe this is worth looking into. Although it should wait for Botan to get her delivery. If you don't get rid of the Feelers quickly, they will grow into full parasites after the main body is destroyed."

"I already know that," Yusuke grumbled. "I think she told me they were coming in two days. Guess we'll meet at the hospital then." He cast a glance towards the window. "You coming?"

There was a snort and Shinichi realized that Hiei had appeared by the window at some point in the conversation without his noticing. "It sounds boring."

"But we will need your eye to pick out the Feelers," Kurama countered.

The black-haired boy looked away. "Hn."

X

"So who knows what this guy looks like?" Yusuke asked the group at large as they stood on the street outside the hospital. He was answered by several beats of silence.

"Well that's just perfect," Kuwabara complained. "What are we supposed to do? Make an appointment or something?"

"I have a better idea." Kurama raised his right hand. There was a seed lying in the middle of his palm. As they watched, the seed sprouted, curling soft, green tendrils over the edges of his hand and twining with his fingers. Then a single bud rose and bloomed into a purple and yellow flower with oddly perforated petals. "This is a Makai Dream Eater. The pollen of this particular breed is a highly effective sleeping agent. However it probably will not affect our target as it will be embedded within another living body, but the rest of the staff and patients should be a different story."

"So we can just put everyone to sleep and go after whoever's left standing?" Kuwabara asked.

"That is the idea," Kurama agreed.

"Hold on," Shinichi interjected. "Is there some way to make sure there aren't any operations in progress before you use that?"

"Oh, of course. I'll ask Koenma." Botan stepped quickly away from the group and pulled a compact mirror out of her pocket. A few moments later she returned. "Koenma says everyone should be in a good place in about five more minutes."

Kurama nodded and headed towards the hospital at a leisurely walk with both hands in his pockets as the rest of the group settled down to wait.

Shinichi seated himself on one of the steps leading up to the building behind them. A moment later Kaito joined him. He was idly juggling a handful of colorful balls of light. Shinichi couldn't help but watch them spinning around and around, each just bright enough to be visible despite the daylight.

"What do you think?" Kaito asked suddenly.

"About what?"

The magician flicked his fingers to send two of the glowing lights zipping towards Shinichi where they spun and chased each other around him like playful fireflies. "I can do fire and lightning too. Just imagine the special effects I could get with this! Cool, no?"

"I guess so." Reaching up on an impulse, he swatted at one of the lights. His hand passed through it but his skin tingled with a faint heat where it had come in contact with the glow. "What does it feel like?"

Kaito cocked his head to one side. "What do you mean?"

"This." Shinichi waved a hand at the lights. "The powers."

Kaito studied his companion's face for a long moment. "It's pretty interesting, but I get the impression that that's not what you're asking me. What's bothering you?" Indigo eyes grew serious as the lights disappeared. "You've been worrying about something for a while now."

"It's just… Do you feel any different?"

The magician's expression grew thoughtful. "Not really. Why? Did you feel different when you started to see things?"

Shinichi shook his head.

"It's not like we're catching diseases or anything, you know."

The detective snorted. "I know that. Maybe I just don't like the idea of how we might be being affected by these places."

Ah, that explained a lot. He supposed he could understand that. "Well, just so long as we reach home human and in one piece, I'm not going to complain."

Shinichi shot him a glare. "That is _not_ funny."

"I know, I know, but really," he continued, grin fading. "We're already not the people we were. Things change, that's just life. It's not a bad thing. If anything perhaps we should be glad."

The detective raised an eyebrow at that. "Really? And how did you reach that conclusion?"

"Because every tool we get will make it easier for us to stay alive."

"…That was kind of morbid."

"Forgive me." Kaito bowed as best he could while sitting down. "Do accept this token of my apology." With a flourish, he produced a white rose which he offered to the detective.

Shinichi gave him a funny look before eyeing the flower like he expected it to squirt water in his eyes. They were interrupted by Kurama returning.

"It's ready," he announced.

"About time. So now we just go in and bag us a doctor," Yusuke concluded. "Sounds simple enough."

"Remember Yusuke, the doctor's still human," Botan cautioned. "Even if he _is_ being controlled. So you can't shoot him with your spirit gun. You also have to be careful that the parasite doesn't infect you. That means avoiding physical contact."

"What, so I can't shoot _or_ punch him?" Yusuke spluttered. "What am I supposed to do? Ask him nicely to vacate the doc so I can get a clean shot?"

"I'm sure you'll think of something."

"Great," he scoffed. "Thanks for the vote of confidence."

"Does that mean we're going to have to search the whole hospital?" Kuwabara wondered, looking up at the rather tall building. "Hope that pollen's really effective."

"Kari-san told me which wards he mainly works in. I can show you where they are," Shinichi offered. He knew the hospital rather well by now. "I've also seen the man a few times while I was here."

"Right. Hey, Botan, how many of those spray things do you have?"

"Uh, let me see…" Slinging the bag off her shoulder, she rummaged through it. "I have ten."

"Okay, so me 'nd Kudo here will go look for our dear doctor, and the rest of you can go administer the pesticide."

Kaito made the rose disappear and watched the detectives run off in the direction of the elevators before accepting a spray can from Botan. For something that had been produced in the spirit world, it didn't look very remarkable. "Excuse me, but it occurs to me that it would be a great deal quicker and possibly more thorough if we simply piped this through the hospital ventilation system."

"It would," Botan agreed, smiling a bit sheepishly. "But we don't have enough of it for that. And it doesn't work unless the victim gets a full dose."

"Ah, I see."

X

Doctors, nurses, and visitors sat and lay about the halls and wards, every last one of them snoring softly (or not so softly in some cases). Shinichi stopped for a moment when they passed the janitor who had apparently been caught by the sleep-inducing pollen while he was getting his mop. Diving into the open closet, he scanned the shelves and grabbed a large bottle off the lowest shelf. He reemerged into the hallway to see Yusuke poking his head into various rooms along the hall.

"We're not there yet," he told the spirit detective.

Yusuke shut the door to the room he'd just looked into with a click. "Well then why'd you stop?"

"I wanted to get something," Shinichi replied, holding up the bottle for emphasis. Yusuke eyed it for a moment then laughed.

They found what they were looking for in the last ward on the floor. The man was the first they'd seen awake since entering the hospital and he was leaning over a hospital bed where a young girl lay sleeping. One of his hands was reaching for the girl's face, the fingers wreathed in an odd, grayish glow.

"Stop right there!" Yusuke hollered.

The doctor jumped and spun around to stare at him. "Who the hell are you?"

Now that the man was no longer reaching for the girl, Yusuke relaxed a little, a smirk crawling onto his face. "The name's Urameshi Yusuke, Spirit Detective."

The man's eyes widened. Without a word, he spun on his heels and headed for the door on the opposite end of the ward. Yusuke was faster. He darted forward, leaping clear over several hospital beds and coming up in front of the fleeing doctor.

"Aw, don't leave yet. We've only just said hello."

"Damn you!" the man spat in response, turning back to the first door.

Shinichi raised the large bottle of extremely strongly lemon scented cleaning fluid he had scrounged from the janitor's closet with the nozzle pointed towards the man. He grinned. "It says on the bottle it's very refreshing."

The man snarled, eyes narrowing into near slits behind his glasses. Then his gaze flickered to the beds nearest him and his expression morphed into a malicious grin. In a flash he was beside the girl they had seen him approaching earlier, one hand hovering just over her neck.

"Don't you dare!" Yusuke bounded forward, a brilliant point of light beginning to gather at the tip of his right pointer finger.

The doctor spotted it and his eyes went wide but he didn't move from his spot. "Come any closer and I'll break her neck."

Yusuke stopped moving, but he didn't lower his hand or relinquish the power growing there. "You do realize I can shoot you faster than you could move."

"You can't do that," the doctor retorted. "You wouldn't want to kill an innocent doctor, now would you?"

"Yeah, you're right," Yusuke agreed amiably. "But you know, it just occurred to me that all I have to do is turn down the power enough so that it doesn't kill 'im." With that, he released a blast of bright blue energy like the one Shinichi had seen vaporize the demon that other time. This blast caught Okubo-sensei square in the chest, lifting him right off of his feet and throwing him back into the wall with a loud thud. The man's skull cracked against said wall and he slumped to the floor, unconscious.

Yusuke dropped his hand and walked over to drag the doctor's limp body up by the color. "So how're we supposed to get the thing out of him?"

Shinichi frowned. He could have sworn that he'd seen something slip out of the doctor's left ear moments before he'd been hit. Blue eyes skimmed the polished floors as Yusuke gave the man a light shake before letting him drop back to the floor and stepping back.

"Guess we should ask Bo—" Partway through his sentence, the spirit detective paused, frowning. "What the—what did I just step on?"

Lifting his foot, he stared at the grayish, greenish smudge on the floor. There wasn't anything else there, though the smudge looked pretty gross.

Shinichi however had zeroed in on the other detective's upraised foot. "I think what you're looking for might be stuck to the sole of your shoe."

Yusuke craned his neck to take a look. Indeed, plastered to the bottom of his shoe was what looked like a green and gray centipede with a disturbingly humanoid face.

"That's it?" he asked incredulously. "Man, it makes us run all over the city looking for it for two weeks and then it doesn't even have the decency to put up a good fight!"

Shinichi looked at him a bit oddly, but he supposed it was a martial artist thing. "Here." Hefting the bottle of cleaning fluid, he moved to spray the bottom of the shoe Yusuke was still holding up. As they watched the entire creature dissolved away like a snow sculpture in the heavy rain.

Yusuke whistled. "That's some good stuff."

X

Sticking spray canisters into people's ears was not how Kaito had imagined he'd be spending the day when he'd decided to tag along. Regardless, there he was, doing just that along with the rest of the team on the direction of an extremely bored looking Hiei who had refused to take a spray himself.

When they finally caught up to the detectives, they found them just finishing administering the spray to everyone in the ward where a man in a doctor's coat lay splayed out on the floor, his glasses lying shattered beside him.

"Ugh, what did you do to him Yusuke?" Botan demanded, running over to the man and dropping to her knees. A yellow light began to crackle around her hands. "He's got three broken ribs!"

"Hey at least he's still breathing and doesn't have a centipede roosting in his ear anymore," the boy in question retorted.

The girl sighed. "It's going to take me a few minutes to finish healing his injuries."

"So where's the parasite?" Kurama inquired, scanning the room and finding nothing.

"Oh, that." Yusuke shrugged. "I stepped on it. It was pretty pathetic."

"Wow, that _is_ pretty pathetic," Kuwabara muttered. "Well if that's all I think I'm gonna go home. Sis's been nagging at me all week about studying for that big test coming up."

Ten minutes later everyone dispersed outside the hospital.

"You two think you can find your way okay?" Yusuke had asked. At their affirmative, he'd shrugged and left with his hands in his pockets. "See you around."

Botan too departed to report back to Koenma, leaving the two travelers to make their own way back to Genkai's temple.

"I guess that means we're just about set to go doesn't it?" Kaito remarked as he folded his arms behind his head. "We just need to wait for Aome to finish her search."

"Actually she already did." Reaching into his pocket, Shinichi showed him a green statuette of a robotic, cat-like creature.

The magician glanced at it then nodded slowly. Shinichi took a moment to study the miniature before tucking it away again. Neither of them was quite ready to leave just yet. Maybe in another day or two. Right now though…right now what they really needed was a moment to breathe.

"Hey, let's stop by that ramen place again. The owner did say we'd be welcome."

"All right."

**TBC**

* * *

**Notes**:

Powers: I debated with myself a _long_ time before deciding to give them powers. I wasn't going to at first, but there are some worlds like Bleach that they'll be getting to in the future where a person without powers just can't really be part of what's actually happening.

**Next**: When the Earth Trembles [Zoids: New Century Zero]

**A.N**: The next two chapters will be focused more on just the KaiShin part of the story so where they are won't matter quite as much. So I'm picking worlds for them that don't need as much setting up/explaining. Well, that and I just feel like Zoids would be fun. Anyhow, stay tuned!


	9. When the Earth Trembles

A.N: Wow this one took a long time. Sorry about that. Anyhow, here it is! Hope you enjoy ^_^

Disclaimer: I don't own DCMK or Zoids

* * *

9: When the Earth Trembles

(World 9: Zoids - New Century Zero)

The first thing Shinichi did when the world solidified was take a quick look in every direction. This turned out to be a very good thing because there was a massive, metallic, white shape barreling towards him. He threw himself flat on the ground just as whatever it was catapulted through the air over his head and landed some few dozen meters away with a spray of sand. Kishiro, who had attached himself to Shinichi's shoulder before the jump, let out an indignant coo and turned into something with four sets of claws which he promptly dug into the fabric of the detective's jacket. Shinichi silently hoped that they wouldn't leave too obvious holes.

Rolling over, he sat up and spat out a mouthful of sand. A look around revealed that the thing that had jumped over him had stopped and was now turning around on four metal paws to face him. It looked almost exactly like the statuette the translocater had been the last time he'd seen it, except that it was a million times bigger and covered in white plating. It made him think of a toy robot, only it was clearly not a toy and fully functional.

It had crouched, lowering its head. Then the front of said head popped open like a hatch to reveal a young man with spiky blond hair seated inside.

"Hey, you all right down there?" he called as he stood up quickly and hopped out onto the ground. "Sorry if I scared ya. Didn't see you there."

"It's okay, no one was hurt," Shinichi replied as the blonde offered him a hand up. Now he had sand in his clothes. Joy. Of course it had to be a desert.

"That's good," the stranger said before he looked around curiously at the empty stretch of sand dunes all around them. "What're you doing out here anyway?"

"I got lost," Shinichi replied in all honesty. "I would greatly appreciate it if you would point me in the direction of the nearest settlement."

"You can get into town if you go straight that way," the blonde replied, pointing across the rolling, desert sands. "It'll take a few hours to get there on foot though. Do you have a vehicle nearby?"

Shinichi shook his head. "I'm afraid not. But if I walk I can get there today, right?"

"Yeah. I'm actually headed there myself. I'd give you a lift but the Liger's a one-seater."

"That's all right," Shinichi assured him. "I'm used to doing a lot of walking. Thank you for your help."

"No prob. Well, see you around."

Shinichi watched the giant robot cat bound off into the distance, marveling at the smoothness of its motion. He knew that technically speaking wheels were a lot more practical than legs on a machine, but you wouldn't think it looking at this one. And if the shape the translocater had taken was any indication, there was probably more where that came from.

He shook the sand out of his jacket as best he could but gave up eventually. The little grains seemed determined to cling to every crease in his garments. If the sun hadn't been so bright, it would have been nice to be able to just take the jacket off, but in this sun he'd burn for sure. Between being hot and getting sunburns, he'd choose to be hot. Well, the city wasn't going to walk itself to meet him.

He had no idea how long he walked through the desert. The general featurelessness of the landscape made distance impossible to judge. He just hoped the blonde had been accurate in his estimations of how long it would take to reach civilization.

Kishiro was currently in the form of a tiny lizard nestled into the detective's hair. He had been a snake for a while but Shinichi wasn't exactly ecstatic about having a snake draped about his shoulders. It was creepy even knowing it wouldn't bite him and wasn't a real snake anyway. He wondered idly if it could turn into a horse or some other creature big enough to carry him, but he didn't want to waste the energy it would take to open his mouth and ask.

Once he thought he saw what looked almost like a comet streaking across the sky in the distance. At moments he could almost believe that he was the only person in this world, surrounded on all sides by this desolate sea of sand. He just hoped he was walking in the right direction.

X

The streets in this city sure were wide, Kaito observed. Then again, considering the things he'd seen walk down them, that wasn't all that surprising. He had traded a miniature nutcracker toy to a convenience store owner who had apparently never seen anything like it before for a city map and was now taking a quick look around. Everywhere he looked he could see posters and television screens displaying images of massive, robotic creatures engaged in heated combat. The manner of the displays suggested it was some form of sport.

He had just located a good outdoor seating area and sent Aome out to look for Shinichi while he studied his new city map. Committing it to memory didn't take very long as it appeared to have been laid out like a grid, but the back of the map gave him a moment's pause. It showed a very simple, almost featureless world map with only the city's location marked out and it shouldn't have been very interesting at all except that none of the continents matched the shapes of the continents back home. Then there was the inscription in the corner. It was only one word—"Zi".

"Well, well," he murmured under his breath. "There's certainly something to think about."

Leaning back in his seat, he glanced up to check the sky for any sign of Aome before letting his gaze sweep the streets. There was a rather bizarre phenomenon moving up the street towards the benches where he was sitting. The center of it was a young man with short, brown hair and a rather gaudy, orange and yellow outfit. He was walking in the halting manner of someone searching for something. Every now and then he would stop by a cluster of chatting people or stop a passerby and begin waving his arms around. A few minutes later the people would turn and walk away from him—sometimes at great speed. Then the man's shoulders would sag for a moment before he straightened them again and the situation repeated.

Smelling possibilities, Kaito tucked the map into one of his many hidden pockets and slipped into the crowds, making his way towards the stranger. He arrived within earshot just as another rendition of the man's personal show began again.

"How would you like to be a member of the illustrious Champ Team?" he asked the three teenagers who had been watching a newscast through a store window like a salesman offering a once in a lifetime opportunity. "With me, Harry Champ, the man destined to be king!"

His impromptu audience traded dubious looks. "Uh, no thanks." Not waiting for a response, they hurried away.

"It's a great opportunity!" the man called after them, voice rising in a hopeful plea.

"I've never even heard of a Champ Team," one of the departing teens muttered to his companions as they brushed pass Kaito.

"I think I might've," one of the others mused. "Been falling like a rock through the rankings, or so I've heard."

"No wonder he's looking for new help."

"I hear a lot of teams are looking for temporary members with the new flu going around."

"Yeah. Funny though. I could've sworn I heard something about him using robots. Maybe that was someone else?"

Kaito filed this information under 'interesting, possibly useful' before approaching the now slightly distraught looking Harry. "Excuse me," he began, stepping in front of the man. "But I couldn't help but overhear you. You are looking for some help, correct?"

Twenty minutes later Kaito was back on the bench he'd been occupying earlier with the card he had acquired from his soon-to-be employer tucked safely into one of his many pockets. With that little problem out of the way, he was free to turn his thoughts to more important matters. That being one Kudo Shinichi.

Shinichi… In the last few weeks he had come to a conclusion regarding the feelings the detective had been stirring in him lately. He hadn't, however, come to a conclusion yet about how to broach the subject with his companion. The thought of not doing anything did not even cross his mind as a possibility (he was a strong believer in the idea that it was always better to act than to not and regret it later).

The timing could have been better though. He would have had more to work with at home. On the other hand, Shinichi didn't have a choice but to spend time with him right now. So maybe it couldn't have been better? He chuckled quietly to himself, ignoring the odd looks the couple who'd just walked by him sent his way at the sound. On second thought, he turned and flashed them a broad, toothy grin and a wink. They gave each other nervous looks and sped up. The magician's grin morphed into a smirk. People were just so _fun_ to mess with. That was one thing that never changed no matter what world they were in.

He was considering going to explore the area some more when the flicker of white wings in the corner of his eye made him turn. It was Aome. That had certainly been faster than he'd expected. Smiling, he stood and scanned the street for that familiar cowlick. Spotting it emerging from around a corner, he waved. Blue eyes caught his and filled with relief.

"Water!" the detective exclaimed without any preamble the moment he was within earshot. "Tell me we still have water."

"We still have water," Kaito replied obligingly before pulling a bottle of said substance out of the air with a flourish. Shinichi snatched it from him and downed half the bottle before slowing to a more leisurely drinking pace. Kaito took the time to study his companion's appearance. He was covered in dust and specks of what appeared to be sand. His bangs were damp with sweat and the occasional piece stuck up in an odd angle. His clothes too were sticking to him. Overall, he looked like he'd had one hell of a trip. Unable to resist, he asked, "What happened to you?"

Shinichi finished off the last of the water in the bottle and let out a grateful sigh. "I've been walking through desert country all day."

Kaito winced inwardly. All day in the desert with no water? No wonder the detective was a mess!

"It wasn't as bad as it sounds," Shinichi added hastily. "I met a guy who gave me directions, and Kishiro helped out once I got to the city. In fact, I think he knew exactly where you were," he said, gaze shifting to where Kishiro had decided to be a dove again.

Kaito followed his gaze, intrigued. "Really? That's convenient. Now we won't have to spend so much time hunting each other down every time we make a jump."

The Spirit Beast turned to look back at them at that moment as though he knew they were talking about him and Shinichi could have sworn the look in the dove's beady eyes was smug.

Shinichi shook his head, smiling faintly. "You know, sometimes he really does remind me of you."

The magician raised an eyebrow at that, casting another glance at the not-bird that had started preening its feathers. "Okay. Well, if you'll follow me, our new employer arranged a ride for us. He went ahead since I said I had to find you first. It's supposed to take us to his base."

"Base?"

"Yes, base. I believe the terminology came from these competitions of theirs. From what I've gathered, they're like military battles turned into a sport."

"Wait, wait, hold on a moment. Did you just say _employer_?"

"Oh, didn't I mention? These job openings just fell into my lap and I figured we could use them."

"Doing what?"

Kaito draped an arm over his shoulders and began to steer him down the street as he explained.

"Let me get this straight," Shinichi said ten minutes later as they sat inside the van that was to take them to the aforementioned 'base'. "You got us a job with this Harry person who needs pilots to stand in for his normal robotic companions since his sister has borrowed them for some errands that she insists are more important than her brother's hobbies."

"Yep, that sounds about right."

"Did you also remember to tell him that we _don't know anything about these zoid things let alone how to pilot them_?"

The magician shrugged. "I figured we could learn. I saw simulations in the arcade I passed earlier. We can start with those once we're settled in. I did mention we weren't registered, but apparently the process is a pretty easy one."

This, Shinichi thought, had disaster written all over it. But they were already here and there wasn't any point in not giving it a try. Privately, he might even admit to being a little bit excited. He'd always wanted his own car, and while this wasn't exactly the same thing some of those machines looked really cool.

X

Shinichi frankly wasn't sure if he should applaud Kaito for having found them a place to stay and work to do so quickly or find a wall to bang his head against and hopefully knock himself unconscious so that he could wake up to find that this was all just a dream. They were supposed to learn how to pilot these giant, animalistic machines in _combat_ in one month (when the Champ Team's next battle was scheduled). They were going to have to _shoot at other people_ with these things with weapons that looked like they would be all too at home in a war. These weren't handguns they were talking about. They weren't even shotguns. These were actual _canons_ and then some. Some of them didn't even use ammo. Instead they shot great beams of energy that could blast solid rock to smithereens. Of course, the goal was only to freeze the opponents' computers, but still…

What had they gotten themselves into?

Naturally they didn't have any robots—zoids, he corrected himself—of their own, but their new boss had a whole hanger full of them and was quite willing to let them borrow whichever they wanted as long as they could help him win his next few battles so that he could move up a class (according to him, there was a particular team he wished to challenge, but since he had fallen behind in the rankings he currently didn't even have the ability to challenge them). In fact his collection was still expanding, so if they had any requests he was open to hearing them. Apparently money was not one of this man's concerns. Seeing Kaito sitting in front of the computer with a mad grin plastered across his face and anticipatory gleam in his eyes while he perused the catalogues would probably be enough to give anyone who knew him nightmares. Or at least a serious case of paranoia for weeks to come.

For his part, Shinichi found himself pouring over diagrams and essays about the different types of zoids, where they had come from, what they excelled in, what they had problems handling, and anything else he thought might be remotely helpful. He discovered that Kaito's guess about them possibly being on a different planet was true, and he was surprised to learn that zoids had actually existed before humans came to said planet, but though the history was fascinating it couldn't help them learn how to pilot the things, forget in time to compete with them. In the end though, he had the feeling that the only way to really get a hang of the things would be to practice.

Aome was still out searching, but they'd told her to take it easy. None of the doves liked the desert climate much and they didn't want her overworking herself. They wouldn't be able to leave for a while anyway, all considered it was only polite they fulfill their promise to Harry before they left.

"I'm going to need a new notebook," he announced, shutting the one he'd just been writing in and glancing up at the back of Kaito's head where he was in front of the computer in the living room again. Documenting everything that happened to them had eaten up the space in the one he'd brought with him even with him writing as small as he could. He'd picked up a spare at their fourth stop, but he was already on the second to last page.

The two of them were currently alone at the base. Harry had gone out that morning in a rather gaudy outfit, saying something about going to see 'his Leena'. According to Kaito, it was the girl he was trying to impress.

Kaito nodded, not looking around from whatever he was doing. "Harry asked us to deliver an order to the dealers for him. We could pick up a new notebook for you while we're at it, spend some time in town, shop around, maybe get a bite to eat and give those arcade sims another go."

"It'll have to be a different arcade. I don't think the one we went to last time would be very happy to see us again." The manager had demanded they leave after they'd spent three hours on the game.

"Not a problem. There's a bigger arcade near the dealer's. It's got six different battle simulation games so we won't be able to hold up the line this time."

Shinichi blinked in surprise but nodded. "Let's go then." Carefully, he shifted the bundle of fur that was Kishiro in the form of a desert hare off of his lap where it had been sleeping and onto a cushion. The hare twitched an ear and cracked open one eye to peer around the room before promptly going back to sleep.

Shutting off the power on the computer, Kaito hopped to his feet and produced two baseball caps with a flourish. He put one on then proffered the other to Shinichi. "Sun's going to be high this time of day. Or would you prefer sunglasses?"

"The hat is fine. Thank you." He stood and reached to accept said hat, but instead of handing it to him Kaito stepped forward and pulled it over his head for him, giving the bill a gentle tug to make sure it was secure. Mildly baffled by the unnecessary gesture, Shinichi didn't have any time to ask about it since the magician had already turned and was leading the way out of the common room.

Harry had granted them use of one of his cars and they'd become fairly familiar with the road to the nearest city. It was a half hour of uneventful, desert scenery that Shinichi had secretly come to enjoy (after he'd assured himself that Kaito could drive. He had been a little cross at first that the magician managed to steal the keys every time, but Kaito's argument that he'd just gotten his license whereas Shinichi obviously hadn't practiced at all in his last few years in grade school was hard to refute). Sure it wasn't the most interesting journey in the world, but there was a certain serenity about being on the road with a friend, going somewhere mundane on an everyday errand. Maybe it was just being able to do something normal for once without having to worry about things like monsters that shouldn't exist or even humans who'd lost their grasp on morality. It was kind of funny, he mused. Leading an excessively eventful life had taught him to appreciate those mundane moments in life for what they really were—moments of peace.

X

By the time they left the arcade it was already late afternoon.

"Why don't we get something to eat before we head back?" Kaito suggested, stretching his arms up to get the kinks out of his back before letting them fall to his sides with a satisfied sigh. They might not be experts, but they were definitely making progress in their self appointed course on robot-piloting. "There's a restaurant not far from here that should be open. They've got a reputation for good food at reasonable prices and they're always broadcasting the battles of the most up and coming teams in the ranks. They're apparently pretty good at zeroing in on the most exciting matches."

"That's rather detailed for someone who's never been there," Shinichi observed, wondering if Kaito had been sneaking out to scout at night without his knowledge. Though why he would spend his time finding out which establishments were known for showing what on television Shinichi had no idea. Really Kaito had been acting a little…odd lately. Odder, anyway. It wasn't just the occasional peculiar silences that he'd come to recognize as what amounted to a brooding mood for the magician. Nor was it the tightly controlled excitement that meant he was scheming something particularly impressive (destructive). He couldn't put his finger on it.

It was just that he'd woken up a few nights ago with that bone-chilling sensation that he was being watched. When he'd looked around for the source he'd found Kaito sitting on the bed opposite his.

"_What_ are you doing?" he'd demanded, slightly miffed and still feeling more than a little creeped out.

Kaito had blinked at him and produced one of his best smiles (the kind that said 'who, me? What are you talking about? I'm just an innocent bystander'). "Just thinking. Is there a problem?"

_ "It's," he glanced at the clock, "two in the morning! You're supposed to be sleeping."_

_ "But I'm not tired."_

_ "Then go do something else," Shinichi grumbled, crossing his arms and wondering why the base had so much room for zoids and so little room for guests. It probably had something to do with Harry's usual companions being robotic. "I can't sleep with you staring like that."_

_ "I wasn't staring."_

_ "I don't care what you call it, just go do it somewhere else."_

_ "Fine, fine, I'm going." Kaito hopped off his bed and stretched. "Maybe I'll go get a snack. Do you want anything?"_

_ "No thank you." Lying back down, Shinichi pulled the blanket up to his chin. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going back to sleep."_

He'd also started asking Shinichi a lot of what the detective considered to be random questions at equally random times. There was the time when they had been in the middle of discussing the pros and cons of looking into aerial zoids when Kaito paused to ask him if there was anything he didn't eat. Shinichi had stared at him blankly for a moment before saying no, at which point the magician resumed their original topic of discussion like it had never been interrupted. The other such incidents had been similarly bizarre.

Obviously, Kaito was planning something. Well, duh, Kaito was always planning something. What Shinichi couldn't figure out was what. If there were any reason for Kaito to be planning to impersonate him, he might have thought the thief was doing research, but considering current circumstances that was about as likely as Shinichi deciding to become an opera singer (er, well, maybe not quite that unlikely, but pretty close anyway).

There was also all this time Kaito had apparently been spending looking up irrelevant information about the various businesses and entertainment venues being run in the area. Frankly, Shinichi felt they had much more important things to be looking up, but he knew Kaito was a quick study so he supposed it couldn't hurt.

As it was, the only answer he could come up with was that Kaito was sating his curiosity.

As for the rest of it… Well, it _was_ Kaito.

Still, he couldn't quite shake the feeling that _something_ had changed. He'd chalked it up to paranoia at first, but now he stared into the magician's indigo eyes, trying to figure out if something really _had_ changed or if it was all in his imagination.

Kaito just grinned. "It always pays to do your research. Besides," he reasoned, "we could use the opportunity to study up on the competition."

Well, that sounded harmless enough. "Lead the way."

The magician slung an arm over his shoulders and started steering them down the street, pointing out other notable landmarks he'd found along the way.

The restaurant Kaito led them to occupied the top floor of a department store. All its walls were paneled with huge, glass windows, giving everyone inside both a great view of the city beyond and plenty of warm, golden sunlight for a comfortable atmosphere. Shinichi noted absently that all the tables in this particular establishment were set for two. Almost all the seats were full. A single, massive screen hung suspended from the ceiling near the counter. It was on this screen that the image of a skinny, white robot standing inside an equally white capsule was announcing the end of a zoid battle. A few moments later the scene changed to another judge robot practically identical to the first only this one was pronouncing the beginning of a battle between the Blitz Team and the Alder Team. The atmosphere in the entire restaurant seemed to shift up a notch in excitement as heads all around the room turned towards the screen.

"The Blitz Team is the one the girl Harry's trying to impress is on," Kaito remarked as he returned to their table from his trip to the counter to place their orders. "I heard they're really good. I read on the net that they've been on a winning streak and beaten some of the toughest warriors out there."

On the screen the said team's mobile base opened up a hatch and began to launch zoids. First to emerge was a black, fox-like machine. It was followed by something that might have resembled a dinosaur but it was hard to be sure considering it was almost entirely obscured by the massive assortment of weapons that had been attached to it. The third to come bounding out of the base was sleek and cat-like, its blue armor gleaming like sapphires under the desert sun. It threw its head back and roared a challenge, tufted tail lashing as though in anticipation.

"Hey, I've seen that zoid before," Shinichi said in surprise. "Although I seem to remember it being white, not blue."

"One of their zoids is known for having interchangeable armors with varying capabilities. Apparently it's a one of a kind. It's called the Liger Zero. The pilot's name is Bit Cloud. He was an unknown before he joined their team, but by all accounts they've been rising in the ranks ever since."

"He was the one who gave me directions to town."

"That reminds me," Kaito started, his abruptly serious tone drawing Shinichi's attention to his face. "I think it might be advisable if you carried the wizards' box when we make jumps from now on. If Kishiro really can locate me like we think, then we shouldn't have to worry as much about being separated, but that won't account for distance and I would feel better if you had supplies with you next time you land somewhere desolate."

The detective frowned. "But that would just mean you wouldn't have supplies. So the result would be the same. Or are you saying you can conjure water from nothing now?"

"Well, no, but I always keep certain supplies about my person. And if Aome travels with me, she can help me find supplies if she doesn't have to look for you."

"I…guess that would work," Shinichi conceded. "But we need to make sure Kishiro really can know where you are first."

The magician flashed him a grin. "Can do."

The conversation lulled and took a turn into less serious matters as a waiter arrived with their food.

"Well, it looks like chicken, and it tastes like chicken," Kaito declared after taking a bite of his chicken curry dish. "So I guess chicken is chicken everywhere, even on a different planet. That'll be something to tell people back home for sure."

Shinichi snorted. "Not that they'll ever believe you."

"Oh, I don't know, I can be very persuasive."

"No one can be _that_ persuasive."

"Hmm, do I get anything if you're wrong?"

Shinichi blinked, that niggling sensation that there was something different in the magician's tone tugging at his thoughts again, but he shook it away and shrugged. "All right. If you can make someone back home believe you've eaten chicken from an alien planet, you can ask me for a favor."

That got him a rather KID-like smirk. "Deal."

Neither of them thought about the fact that they were discussing something that might never matter.

"That one," Kaito said suddenly, eyes lighting up as he straightened in his seat. "What do you think it is?"

Shinichi followed his gaze back to the screen which was now displaying a green zoid that resembled a pterodactyl. It was the only airborne zoid currently on the field. The camera was following its progress across the sky and it was _fast_. Looking from the screen to the rapt expression on Kaito's face, Shinichi thought he knew what his companion would be talking to Harry about next time they saw him.

Outside the late afternoon sky glowed with streaks of orange and gold. The city glittered beneath it, wrapped in a haze of late afternoon heat. And beyond the city the desert rolled away in endless sweeps of sand as far as the eye could see.

X

It was late evening when they finally returned to the Champ base. Climbing out of the car, Shinichi pulled the scattering of bags they'd picked up from the grocery store (plus one from a stationary shop) out of the back seat. He looked up when another pair of hands took some of the bags from him.

"Thanks," he said, offering the magician a smile.

"You're welcome~," the magician replied in a singsong voice before reaching out with his free hand and snapping his fingers. A white rose popped into existence in front of the smaller boy's nose, making him go momentarily cross-eyed.

Shinichi blinked at the bloom, nonplussed. "You know, if you keep practicing with those they're not going to last, and you don't exactly have an infinite supply."

With that, he wandered off to put their purchases away. Come to think of it, that was the second time Kaito had offered him a flower.

Odd that.

Kaito watched the detective go, his eyebrows climbing into his hairline. He had anticipated a variety of reactions, but that had not been one of them. Bemused, he vanished the rose and followed after Shinichi.

X

Shinichi stared intently at the monitor before him. On the screen, a blue and white zoid was just launching itself into the air. Opening a communication channel with the cockpit, he asked, "So how's it going?"

"So far so good," Kaito's cheerful voice replied from the other end. "It sure is different being in the real thing."

"Did you remember to bring the parachute?"

"Yes mom~."

The detective twitched. "Kaito. Just—be careful, and try not to fly too high until you're sure you can handle it."

"Honestly Tantei-kun, you worry too much. Have a little faith!"

Shinichi frowned but decided his energy was better spent keeping a close watch on all the monitors and the statistics displayed on them.

The green zoid that had caught Kaito's fancy, Harry had told them, was called a Raynos. It was one of the fastest airborne zoids available. Being something of a collector, Harry was pretty enthusiastic about the idea of getting his hands on one. However, the Raynos was also known for being notoriously difficult to handle. And that was among aerial zoids which were already known for being tricky. Therefore, the deal was that Kaito would get his Raynos only if he could master the other flying zoids in Harry's hanger before it arrived. If not, he would have to settle for one of the others. So here they were.

Well, they'd have to get in the real things eventually, he supposed now was as good a time as any.

Luckily, like chicken, computers were computers everywhere. These might be a touch more sophisticated than the ones back home, but they worked the same way and the rest was easy enough to learn.

On the screen, the Pteras banked its ribbed wings and circled over the dunes. Its progress was steady and its motion smooth. Watching it gradually pick up speed as Kaito grew more comfortable with the controls, Shinichi felt himself relax.

"This is amazing! You really should've come with me," Kaito's voice remarked over the com line as his grinning face appeared on one of the monitors. "This one does have room for two. It's like having a private jet!"

"Maybe next time. So did you want to try one of the training routes?"

"Sure."

"I'm sending you the map for the first one then. This one includes a pass through a canyon for testing maneuverability."

It became routine to spend the morning practicing piloting the assortment of zoids in the Champ base hanger. With Kaito systematically going down the list of flyers, Shinichi had decided it was time he did a little practicing of his own. The whole idea was still rather novel, but he was pleasantly surprised to find that it was also kind of fun. The first time he'd looked out of a cockpit window and seen the desert flying by outside in a streak of golden sand and cloudless blue sky, he'd found himself unable to stop a grin from spreading across his face. Kaito was right. This _was_ amazing. Nothing at all like the video game he'd half expected it to resemble (which was good considering how terrible he was at _those_).

Their afternoons were spent largely on more research, but as the days drew on Kaito began to drag them out to the city more and more. It seemed he was getting bored with staying at the base most of the time. Shinichi didn't mind so much, especially now that he'd picked up a few books from their last few trips into town. Still, the magician always seemed to know just what to say or do to dislodge him from the comforts of the common room couch.

"Hey Tantei-kun, would you like to go get some ice cream with me? We can swing by that historical exhibit that's in town this week while we're at it. You said you wanted to see it, right?"

And that was why they were now seated in an ice cream parlor. With the blazing desert sun pounding on the pavement outside, the frozen treats were like a blessing from heaven. The magician had ordered what the menu had called the "Chocolate Craze Sundae". It had arrived in a large, spiraling bowl piled high with chocolate ice cream dotted with chocolate chips. On top of that a thick, hot layer of fudge had been drizzled and that in turn topped with thin, shaved chocolate flakes. Just looking at the thing made Shinichi's teeth ache in protest, but Kaito was delighted. The detective in turn had gotten a plain, vanilla swirl and a cup of coffee.

"You're drinking hot coffee in weather like this?" Kaito asked incredulously around a spoonful of ice cream.

"There's air conditioning in here," Shinichi pointed out. "Besides, coffee is supposed to be hot. And you shouldn't talk with your mouth full," he added as an afterthought. "Are you really going to eat all that?"

"Of course! It would be a royal shame to waste such a wondrous delicacy." To emphasize his point, the magician took another large bite out of his dessert. "You should really try some."

Shinichi winced at the thought. "I think I really shouldn't."

"You're missing out~."

"Somehow I think I can live with that." Finishing off his own ice cream, he settled down to enjoy what remained of his coffee. He had just finished and set the cup aside, feeling content and remarkably relaxed, when he was caught off guard by a spoon being shoved unceremoniously into his mouth.

He let out a muffled protest but it was too late. With no choice unless he wanted to choke, he swallowed the mouthful of what turned out to be chocolate ice cream.

Kaito grinned as blue eyes glared balefully across the table at him. "Good, right?"

Torn between indignation and embarrassment, Shinichi was at a loss for words. Kaito had never done anything like that before. What possessed him to do it now, he really had no idea. Growing more confused by the second and starting to feel distinctly uncomfortable, Shinichi cast around hurriedly for a distraction. Aid came in an unexpectedly familiar figure on the other side of the small, shopping center court that indoors front of the parlor was attached to. "Isn't that Harry? What's he doing here?"

Kaito almost frowned at the interruption but he managed to keep his irritation behind his Poker Face as he followed his companion's gaze. "Yeah, that's definitely him. Maybe he's here for a date? He certainly dressed up."

"But I thought he was supposed to be trying to impress someone."

"Perhaps she came around." Admittedly, Kaito didn't believe that for a moment. If he knew Harry by now—and he was fairly sure he did—the brown-haired pilot would have announced any such turn in events to them the moment it happened.

As if on cue, the door to the shop Harry had been standing beside opened and a lanky girl with a mop of red hair and a rather odd head accessory that made her look like she had antennae stepped out. Harry launched instantly into motion. Stepping forward and proffering the massive bouquet that had formerly been dangling at his side. The girl in question halted in her tracks (she didn't have much choice considering the bristling blossoms in her face) and let out an annoyed growl.

"Harry." Obviously, she wasn't unfamiliar with being accosted in such a manner.

"My dear Leena, do accept this small token of my love!" Harry exclaimed. "I have come to inform you that I have just acquired tickets to the next performance of the Minalo Orchestra!"

The girl, Leena, shoved the flowers out of her face and glared at him, obviously not in the least bit pleased by this news. "_Why_ would I want to go to some boring orchestra performance?"

"I know you must be ecstatic," Harry plowed on sounding every bit like he truly believed it. Either he hadn't heard her response or he was too caught up in his own ideas of what should be happening to comprehend what his ears were telling him.

"Get lost, Harry," she snapped. "I have a battle later and I need to check the Gun Sniper's sights beforehand."

Harry beamed. "That's perfect then. We can celebrate your victory with dinner after your battle and then go to the concert!"

Leena scowled. "I told you already, I'm not interested!"

By now both detective and thief (being the naturally nosy people that they were) were watching the drama unfold, the former with growing bewilderment and the latter torn between laughter and incredulous pity.

"Can't he tell she's getting angry?" Shinichi couldn't help but voice the question as the girl in question turned as red as her hair. He could all but see the steam rising.

"Well~," Kaito drawled, "they do say love is blind."

"Somehow I don't think it's supposed to be quite _that_ blind," Shinichi muttered, watching how Harry was still wearing that creepily ecstatic expression as the redheaded girl yelled at him. Couldn't he see that he was just making her mad? If nothing else the screaming was surely an obvious hint.

"What part of _get lost_ don't you understand?"

"But—Wait! Leena~!"

Kaito winced and shook his head in horrified disbelief. "He's going about it all wrong! Hey, you know what? Why don't you go to the payphone we saw outside and call him out? I have some gas on me. We can stash him in the car and I'll come back and straighten things out for him."

Shinichi shot him a disapproving look. "You are not going to woo her for him. It wouldn't be good for either of them in the long run no matter what you manage to do."

"It can't be worse than _that_."

"For all you know, this happens every day," Shinichi pointed out.

The look Kaito gave him at that suggested that that didn't mean anything, but Shinichi ignored it. Instead he got up and carefully approached the young man who now stood alone in the middle of the court, bouquet now dangling forgotten in one hand.

"Harry?"

The pilot started and turned around to face them. "Oh, hi," he greeted. "What are you two doing here?"

"We were passing through," Shinichi explained. "We, uh, couldn't help but overhear…" He waved a hand after the long departed Leena.

"So we were wondering if you were okay," Kaito supplied. After all, Harry _was_ currently their teammate, and that meant they were supposed to look out for him.

"Oh, that." He laughed a bit sheepishly then squared his shoulders. "I guess I'll have to ask again another time. I'm sure she was just preoccupied with her upcoming battle. But one day she will see that I am the only one for her," he concluded with what sounded like absolute confidence before bidding them farewell and breezing off with that dreamy look they'd seen him wearing earlier still plastered across his face.

"Well, that was certainly …enlightening," Kaito remarked into the ensuing silence, the corners of his lips quirking up. "So shall we head over to the exhibit then?"

X

He'd looked everywhere. Well, okay, maybe not exactly _everywhere_. After all, in a base this large, it wasn't easy to actually look everywhere, but he had checked everywhere that he could think of and called around the large spaces just in case and still there was nothing. He had just gone back to their sleeping quarters to check if he'd missed anything when he was interrupted by the door banging open.

"It's here!" Kaito exclaimed, excitement bright in every syllable as he bounded into the room. He paused however when he noticed Shinichi was on his hands and knees, peering under his bed. "Um, I'm just curious, but what are you doing?"

The detective sat back on his heels with a frown. "I haven't seen Kishiro all day. Do you think something's happened to him?"

"Actually, he left with Aome this morning."

The detective blinked, finally turning to look at him. "Wait, Aome came back?"

"Only for a few minutes," the magician replied. "Which you'd know if you'd gotten up when I called you instead of chucking the pillow at me and going back to sleep. Anyway, she spent some time chirping at Kishiro then they both flew off."

"Oh." That was odd. They'd never done anything like that before. Usually the two not-birds treated each other with a sort of wary respect. On the other hand, maybe this was a good sign.

"Why were you looking for him?"

Thoughts returning to the present at the sound of the question, Shinichi stood and straightened out his clothes. "I just thought it was a bit strange is all," he explained. "He usually stays with me when we're here at the base."

"Well, I'm sure it's nothing to concern yourself with."

"So what were you saying was here?"

Remembering what had brought him to the room to begin with, Kaito's face broke out into the same, ecstatic grin he had been wearing before. "The Raynos! It just arrived! Come on!" Grabbing Shinichi's hand, he began dragging the detective through the base to the hanger. Two minutes later Shinichi found himself in front of the large, green pterosaur zoid. Its wings were folded neatly, giving it a rather angular look. It was exactly like the one he remembered seeing on TV.

"I'm guessing you want to take it out for a test run?"

"Naturally. After all, if it's really that hard to master, the sooner I start the better."

"Are you sure you don't want to practice a bit longer with the others?"

The magician shot him a sidelong look, an amused grin playing around his lips. "Did anyone ever tell you that you worry too much?"

Shinichi rolled his eyes, taking the answer for what it was. "Only you. I'll watch from the surveillance center then."

As Shinichi headed out of the hanger, Kaito climbed up to the cockpit and began examining the controls. He paused for a moment as a hum reverberated through the air. It sounded as though it had come from the zoid itself. He wondered briefly if he had imagined the noise but dismissed the thought. He was fairly sure it hadn't been his imagination. Hadn't Shinichi mentioned that several accounts suggested that these robotic creatures really were a kind of life form? Perhaps there was more to that idea than he had at first given it credit for.

It really was astonishing how this could become routine, Shinichi thought as he set up the monitors so he would be able to track the Raynos' progress and systems during Kaito's test flight. Talk about learning skills he would probably never need again. Granted, that was probably a good thing. Not a lot of worlds could be so peaceful when just about everyone had what amounted to their own personal tank. No sooner had he given the okay then the Raynos disappeared from the view on the main screen.

"This is AWESOME~!" Kaito's voice whooped across the intercom as his zoid went blasting away across the sky.

Shinichi could only shake his head, suppressing the urge to laugh in favor of panning across the landscape in search of his wayward friend.

X

The night air was crisp as Shinichi stood outside the Champ base. He and Kaito had just come back from a trip into town to collect groceries and spend a few more hours on the simulations. The desert air was clear and cold and the sand dunes rolled away into the distance like an ocean frozen in mid motion.

"There's something amazing about it, isn't there?"

He glanced around to see that Kaito had come out to join him. He hadn't heard the magician approach, but he was getting used to that. He nodded at the taller teen and turned back towards the desert night. "You know, sometimes I can almost forget that we're not just somewhere else on Earth—our Earth, I mean. Most of the places we've been really haven't been that different when you get past the magic. But then I look up and I see those two moons."

"It's pretty surreal," Kaito agreed, following the detective's gaze up into the night sky.

"Yeah…" Shinichi murmured. His own gaze never left the sky. "At times like this I start thinking I don't mind being here anymore."

Kaito turned to examine the side of Shinichi's face as he caught the hint of a troubled tone in those words. "Why does that bother you?"

The detective was silent for a long moment before he let out an almost inaudible sigh. "It's not that. It's just…strange, I guess."

Kaito blinked then chuckled. "All this, and that's what you find strange?" A stream of small, colorful lights spiraled up from the magician's palm. They spun like fireflies caught in an intangible wind before dissolving away.

Shinichi frowned at him but there wasn't any real heat to the look. "Well, there's only so many times strange things can be surprising before they become normal."

"I suppose that's true."

A companionable silence fell between them. Somewhere near the horizon, the distant line of fire that marked the passage of a judge capsule headed for some late night battlefield drew their eyes. Otherwise the desert was silent and still. Indigo eyes skimmed the distant, black shapes of the mountains before drifting back to his companion once more. He was pleasantly surprised to see that a faint but genuine smile had crept its way onto his detective's face. Even without the rather cool robots, he would have fond memories of this world just for that, he thought.

He debated with himself for a moment, weighing the pros and cons of breaking the comfortable serenity of the moment. Eventually, however, he decided that now was as good a time as any.

"Hey Shinichi, would you like to go out with me?"

"But we just got back. Was there something we forgot to get?"

Kaito stared at him for a moment, backtracking and turning over the detective's question in his mind. Had he heard that right? He almost laughed (better save it for later). "Er, no, that's not what I meant…"

Confused blue eyes met bemused indigo ones. Kaito could see the exact moment when understanding finally dawned (which really took much longer than it should, in his opinion) as Shinichi's eyes widened and his face turned red faster than the magician had ever seen anyone manage before. When the detective spoke however it was in a rather level tone.

"You're not bringing this up again because you want to mess with everybody's heads back home are you?"

Kaito looked offended. "Do you really think I would do that?"

They locked gazes again for a moment before Shinichi looked away. "…No." he admitted. Kaito wasn't that kind of person. But that would mean he was being _serious_.

He had no idea what he was supposed to think about _that_. He liked Kaito, sure, but he'd never considered… Well, of course he hadn't thought about it. They were running around the universes trying to find their way home. That in itself provided more than enough material (both in the way of problems and just plain peculiarities) for contemplation to fill up the days like nobody's business.

Technically, he supposed there was nothing really _wrong_ with the idea, although he doubted it would go anywhere. It might seem plausible now, stuck together that they were, but when they got home they would have to return to their own lives. On the other hand, that meant that if things went pear shaped they still had their own lives to go back to.

Except that, a tiny voice in his head pointed out, he didn't really want to go back to life the way it had been. He would miss this…whatever this was that they had found in their time together. He wouldn't be able to go back to that time when Kaito was just KID, the fun but sometimes annoying rival and ally whom he'd come to respect but who would always be that distant shadow against the moon. It was one of the things he'd realized in those long hours at the hospital, dreading what the future held.

Did that mean something? Well, obviously it meant he'd come to value the magician's friendship. That much he had no problems admitting. He might even venture to say that Kaito had become the closest friend he'd ever had.

But that didn't necessarily _mean_ anything.

He was starting to feel like a hamster running on a wheel.

"You know, Tantei-kun, I can see that you're making a rather complicated business out of a very simple question. It's not like I'm asking you to decide if you want to marry me. If it helps, you can think about it as getting to know each other better with a, ah, slightly different perspective. That is, after all, the whole point of dating. No one knows if something's going to work out unless they try it."

"And if it doesn't?" Shinichi countered. "You do realize we don't know how long we're going to have to travel together."

"Then we'll be friends. Have a little faith, Tantei-kun." He paused, then grinned. "You know you haven't actually said no, right?"

"I…I don't know…" It was all too sudden.

"Will you at least think about it?"

Shinichi nodded slowly, fighting the rather insistent urge to blush. If there was one thing he was sure of, it was that he wasn't going to be able to _not_ think about it.

X

Kaito had to admit that he was a bit disappointed by the outcome of their conversation that night but he had expected about as much. He knew by now that his Tantei-kun had a tendency to over think things, which, while great when dealing with freakishly intelligent killers (and thieves), wasn't very helpful when it came to the more direct things in life. But that was just the way he was. All Kaito had to do now was be patient and let him think things through. That wasn't to say he wasn't going to put in his two scents, but he could be discreet when he wanted to be. He was, after all, a thief as well as a magician.

The rapid approach of their first battle however temporarily put all other thoughts out of their minds. There was a sense of anticipation tingling in the air. Harry was in the process of getting them registered as warriors for his team. Their first opponents were going to be a relatively new team, so at least experience (or lack thereof) wasn't going to be too much of a disadvantage.

"Have you decided what you're going to pilot yet?"

Shinichi started in surprise and spun around in his seat before the computer to see Kaito standing right behind him. Inwardly cursing the thief's supernaturally silent footsteps, he fought the urge to fidget. He knew he'd been avoiding the magician as he tried to sort out his own thoughts, He hadn't exactly meant to, but it was just easier for him to think when he couldn't feel the weight of eyes following his every move. For his part, Kaito had apparently decided to give him some space. He almost completely stopped dragging Shinichi out with him to the city.

If he was to be honest with himself, Shinichi was starting to miss those outings.

"Earth to Shinichi, anyone in there?"

Snapping back to the present, Shinichi coughed and pushed the hand Kaito was waving in his face away. "Well, the team we're going to be facing is pretty new, but it seems like they prefer to attack from a distance. They have one aerial zoid—a Zabat—that provides cover for the others who use long range weapons to take out their opponents. So I was thinking the Helcat might be a good choice. It's fast and its stealth capabilities will make it hard for them to hit. And frankly I'm better with it than a lot of the other ones I've tried. I want to talk to Harry some time to see what he was thinking, since he has more experience, but…"

Kaito took a seat and listened as the detective explained his thoughts, beginning to pull up charts and diagrams on the computer to illustrate his points. He was really only half listening though, more interested in watching the way Shinichi slowly began to relax. Good, it was about time. Just because he had decided it would be beneficial to be patient didn't mean he was prepared to wait forever for an answer. He knew what he wanted, he just needed to know which of the two dozen plans he was crafting would best suit his purposes.

X

A white, metal capsule flew through the atmosphere. The friction of its passing sparked into flame so that it soon resembled a meteor plunging towards the land far below. When it struck the ground it was with all the strength of the meteor it resembled. When the dust cleared it was to reveal a crater in the ground. Slowly, a single, white shape began to rise from where it had embedded itself in the earth.

"Warning, warning!" the judge robot blared as its capsule opened. "The area within a thirty mile radius is now a designated zoid battlefield!"

As the judge continued its spiel, the two teams in question readied themselves. Neither could see the opponents zoids yet, but the air was already abuzz with tense excitement.

"Battle mode 0982, the Champ Team versus the Ruka Team!"

There was a moment of silence during which everything seemed to freeze—the bowstring just before release. Then the judge bellowed out the signal to begin and everything snapped into motion.

X

The faint grays of predawn light had just begun to creep across the sky when Kaito woke to the sound of an insistent tapping at the window. Cracking open an eye, he peered across at the window to see two familiar, white shapes perched on the outside sill. He sat up and swung his feet to the floor. A moment later he had the window open. In rushed a gust of dry, desert air.

"You know, I would've expected you to be able to let yourself in, Kishiro. I'm disappointed!"

That got him a beady eyed glare that made him laugh before the dove in question shimmered and became a small monkey about the size of a cat. Instead of coming inside however, he flipped backwards off the sill. Kaito turned his questioning gaze to Aome but the Duel Monster only cooed happily and fluttered in to land on the edge of the desk. Once there she settled down and began to preen her feathers.

"Okay, that was incredibly uninformative." Seeing as he wasn't getting any answers from her, Kaito settled down to wait. A few minutes later the monkey reappeared on the sill. Its progress was mildly hampered by the large, green stone it was carrying. Understanding dawned and Kaito reached over to relieve the monkey of its burden. It wasn't a large stone for a human, but for a creature so much smaller it was more than awkward. "I take that back. You did a good job."

The monkey gave him a look that screamed 'Well, duh, what did you expect?'.

"Who are you talking to?" a sleepy voice asked from somewhere inside the cocoon of blankets that was all that was visible of him on the opposite bed.

"It's just Kishiro," Kaito explained. "He and Aome just got back. They brought the stone with them so we won't have to go looking. It's probably why it took them so long to get back."

The blankets stirred and eventually Shinichi emerged. Bleary blue eyes blinked across the room at Kaito then the bird and the monkey. Both animals looked ridiculously proud of themselves. The monkey grinned and waved.

Shinichi smiled at the two. "That's good." Covering a yawn, he cast one quick look out the window, didn't see any sun, and withdrew back into the blankets.

The other three occupants of the room shared a knowing look and a quiet laugh. "I think that's all we're getting for now. Why don't you two get some rest too? You look like you could use it."

X

They had competed in ten battles: eight wins, one loss, and one draw. With their last victory they had fulfilled their promise to Harry and helped his team rise a class. Benjamin and Sebastian—the two robots that usually assisted Harry as his teammates—had also returned. With everything how it should be, they had told Harry that they would be leaving. He was a little reluctant to see them go, but he seemed to have sensed their growing restlessness so he didn't press them to stay.

"Would you like to go flying with me? Since we're leaving tomorrow, it's going to be the last chance we get. We can take the Pteras. Harry won't mind."

Shinichi looked up from where he had been making a last check of their supplies. "I would have thought you'd want to have a farewell flight with the Raynos."

Kaito shrugged. "No one said I couldn't do both. So how about it?"

Shinichi looked from the hand Kaito held out to him up to those expectant, indigo eyes and back. Making up his mind, he took the proffered hand and let Kaito pull him to his feet. "All right. I guess we could eat lunch in the city then."

The magician grinned. "Sounds good to me."

Later, they soared over the rolling, desert dunes. The silence that hung between them now was the same, soothing one that they had both come to cherish. It was something they had both missed over the last few weeks.

It was Kaito who eventually broke the silence. "Does this mean you're willing to give me a chance?"

There was a soft, rueful sigh from his companion, but when he spoke there was a faint hint of wry amusement in his voice. "I thought about it, and I had the strangest feeling that I already was."

Kaito blinked then laughed. "No offense, Tantei-kun, but sometimes you're not all that fast on the uptake."

There was a disgruntled grumble from the backseat before Shinichi's tone grew solemn. "You know though, things might look different when we get home."

Kaito made a noncommittal noise in the back of his throat. He doubted it, but he could understand the concern. Personally though, he felt he knew himself better than that.

He saw no reason for them to stop living their own lives just because they weren't in their own universe anymore. It was true that they had to focus on surviving and finding their way home, but they were here now and that fact was important too. They'd had their fun times and been in their fair share of danger, but that was precisely why they had to hold on to the moment. This wasn't just a detour from their normal lives or some wacky, twisted version of a vacation. This wasn't a puzzle to solve before life resumed. This _was_ life—their lives—and time wasn't standing still for anyone.

But there would be time to discuss that kind of thing later. Whatever doubts and uncertainties Shinichi might have, Kaito was confident he could deal with them. For now, he had an impromptu lunch date to plot.

It was probably a good thing Shinichi couldn't see his expression right now.

**TBC**

* * *

**Next**: A Glimpse of Home [Star Trek Voyager]

A.N: I considered actually writing out the battle, but I think zoid battles are a lot more interesting to watch than they ever are to read about so yeah… Anyway, I know Voyager's not as well known as a lot of the other Star Trek series, but I think it's kind of poetic since they're also trying to find their way home. Although it's going to be another them-centric chapter and they're actually going there only because I need a particular piece of technology. Well, that's it for now. On a random note, anyone else watch the Olympic opening ceremony? It was beautiful… ^_^


	10. A Glimpse of Home

**A.N**: Er, I'll apologize now for the lack of any real interaction with the actual crew. The problem was I couldn't find anywhere online to re-watch the series and the last time I watched Voyager was years and years ago. Therefore I can't really remember how people talked, etc. So yeah, fortunately, the point of this chapter didn't need them to be very involved.

Disclaimer: I don't own DCMK or Star Trek

* * *

10: A Glimpse of Home

(World 10: Star Trek - Voyager)

Over the course of their travels, it had become abundantly clear that the variety of worlds in existence were as numerous and different as the imagination could produce—more so, in fact, as they were both sure that there were many things out there they could not even begin to imagine. Similarly, the hazards in these worlds ranged just as widely up and down the scale. Therefore each time they made a jump they were leaping into an unknown situation head first and figuratively blindfolded. So they took their rest where they could and it had become habit, whenever possible, to wait until after they'd gotten a full night's sleep before heading back out onto the road. Each leap felt a little like heading into battle. There was the tension of knowing you had to be ready to move at any moment and the sharpness of the senses brought on by the knowledge that the future could be even more uncertain than it always was. Of course, the fact that they didn't always arrive conscious and the way the fabric of space warping around you disoriented the senses didn't help at all, but they had to make do with what they had.

Shinichi had found that it was easier to keep his bearings if he kept his eyes shut during the translocation. Once the blaze of green light had vanished from beyond his eyelids, he opened them again and looked around. Today, however, he couldn't see a single thing. It was pitch black in every direction. Not only that, he couldn't hear anything either.

"Hello?" he called out softly, reaching his hands out and sweeping them through the air to see what he could find. His fingertips encountered nothing but air—air that was so still that he was probably indoors. The smoothness of the surface beneath his feet compounded this belief.

"Tantei-kun?"

He nearly jumped out of his skin at the sudden introduction of sound into the absolute silence. "Kaito?"

"Hold on a moment. Let's see…" There was another moment of silence. Then a soft, white glow bloomed in the darkness. It formed into a ball of radiance a little larger than the average candle flame and it was hanging unsupported in the air four inches above Kaito's open palm. It lit his face from below, giving it a rather eerie cast. It also dusted their surroundings in shades of gray. With its aid they could see that they were surrounded by boxes. Large, heavy, nondescript boxes that did not appear to be made of wood.

"It appears to be some kind of storage room," Shinichi concluded.

"Indeed. Do you happen to see a door?"

"Could it be that?" Shinichi pointed to a large, rectangular patch in the wall that was about the size of a door. It had no handles though. Neither could they see any light around its edges. Either it was night out there or the door didn't open to the outside.

"Electronically locked, perhaps?" Kaito suggested, indicating a panel in the wall beside the door. Tossing his light up to hang over their heads like their own personal moon, he made his way over to inspect it. In only a matter of seconds he had the panel removed and lying on the ground by his feet. That was, however, where progress halted as the magician stared at the mechanics of what he had revealed.

"What's the matter?" Shinichi asked finally, impatience warring with growing concern.

"Well… Let's just say, this is the most high tech warehouse I've ever had the privilege of being in."

Frowning, Shinichi moved to join Kaito in front of the open panel. It was his turn to stare. He was no slouch when it came to mechanics, but he couldn't make heads or tails out of what they were looking at either.

"I see two options here," the magician declared after several more seconds of silence. "We can poke around in this panel and see if anything happens, or we can try to force the door. I should be able to manage a good blast of something."

Shinichi couldn't help but look up at the bobbing light over their heads again before he glanced back at the door. "And leave a gaping hole in the door? That's not like you."

"Well, it's not ideal, certainly, but we have to make do with what we can. If we had a computer, I'd try to hook it up to this contraption and see if we can make something of it, but as it is we don't really have much in the way of tools."

"It would be too risky to just wait," Shinichi sighed. "But let's see if we can pull the doors open before you try to demolish it. If it's built like your usual sliding doors, there is the possibility that we could open them enough to get out."

Kaito shrugged. "All right, but I don't think they look like the kind to give."

Whether or not the doors were the kind to give, they never got the chance to find out. It was just as they were standing up from their examination of the panel that the doors let out a hiss and slid open to admit a rush of armed men.

Shinichi assumed they were armed because the little objects they were holding and pointing at him and Kaito were being held and pointed in the manner of weapons. What the objects actually were, he didn't know. Like the electrical panel, they were of an entirely foreign design. The men were also all clad in what were clearly uniforms with small, shiny badges over their hearts. His mind labeled them immediately as security guards—well trained ones at that.

Kaito reacted purely on instinct. The appearance of a bunch of armed men in uniforms switched him instantly into kaitou gear and he dropped a smoke bomb, grabbed Shinichi, and legged it out the now open door before anyone else in the room could blink. Behind them, they heard someone shout something like "we found them", though who they thought they had to tell was a mystery to Shinichi. All their companions would know that already after all and none of them were holding anything that resembled a phone or walkie-talkie.

"Why are we running?!" Shinichi asked through a brief coughing fit caused by having inadvertently inhaled a lungful of smoke. At least it wasn't sleeping gas.

Kaito picked up his pace. "You have to ask? Tantei-kun, we are being chased by armed security guards who found us in their territory without an excuse."

"But now we look like they caught us committing a crime," Shinichi pointed out.

Kaito couldn't help the laugh that burst from his mouth at that. "Yes, well, we _were_ about to bust the doors open. Seriously Tantei-kun, is now really the time to be worrying about trivial details like that?"

The problem, Shinichi noted, was that it didn't look like they were going to be getting out of here any time soon. However, the more they ran, the guiltier they looked. On the other hand, good security shouldn't shoot first and ask questions later. Hopefully, that was a universal ideology.

What Kaito hadn't counted on was the invisible barrier across the corridor beyond that they almost ran right into except that Shinichi dug in his heels just in time. How he could tell it was there, Kaito had no idea, but by now he was used to Shinichi's seeing things that weren't there (er, well, were there, but not really there in the normal sense anyway). By then, however, their pursuers had caught up. This was just not their day.

X

The security guards were remarkably polite for guards, but they were also wary. The travelers had been escorted to meet their captain, a woman by the name of Kathryn Janeway. There they had learned that they were on a starship (a.k.a. _spaceship_) called Voyager. The ship's occupants were surprised to learn that they were human (and it really was kind of bizarre how often people had been surprised to discover that fact in the worlds they had traveled through). In this case, however, they were surprised because this particular ship was currently decades of faster-than-light travel away from Earth and the area of space in which humans were more commonly found. It turned out this ship had been dragged out to what sounded like basically the middle of nowhere a few years back by a piece of alien technology and now they were searching for their way home.

The story sounded eerily familiar to Shinichi. It reminded him uncannily of their own situation.

The idea of dimensions wasn't a new one to their new acquaintances. They did seem to find the whole concept of a stone that dragged people across the universes intriguing but not overly shocking. They wanted to examine it. That was when the travelers remembered with a certain shock of horror that they hadn't found it yet—and they were in a spaceship.

In space.

It was tied to them, Shinichi reminded himself. It wouldn't go dropping itself in outer space while tossing them into a ship traveling zillions of miles at high speeds away from it, right? Right. It couldn't be so convenient as to land itself with them because of that whole bouncing thing he couldn't claim to fully understand, but it was generally somewhere reasonably within reach unless someone else had found it first.

A scan of the ship turned up nothing. Just as the panic was tying its shoes to begin charging, Aome came to the rescue by leading them right back to the storage bay they had first appeared in. There they found their wayward stone tucked away in a corner. It turned out none of the ship's considerable wealth of technology could tell anything about the stone. They didn't even register its existence. It was like it wasn't really there at all but on another plane of existence entirely. And, well, all things considered, maybe that was precisely what it was.

They were asked to go to the ship's sickbay and get a checkup just in case, since they had to be careful about health and hygiene in such an enclosed environment. The holographic doctor (who reminded Shinichi of the holograms from their first stop only even more alive and physically tangible) had given them the all clear and they had been given a tour of the areas of the ship they would need to know and a guest room.

A few of the technicians had helped them synthesize some moonlight, but the translocater hadn't responded to it. It seemed the magic of the stone didn't work simply by coming into contact with the right kind of rays. That or it registered the machines as much as they registered it—in other words, not at all. They had ended up leaving the translocater on the table by the small window in their room. They figured it would change when they passed within reach of the next suitable moon. In the meantime they could kick back and relax.

They had spent that entire first day beside that window, staring out into the blackness. It was breathtaking and not only because it was vast and endless. It was, after all, outer space. Somehow endless deserts on a different planet with two moons wasn't quite the same as actually seeing space up close and personal—or as up close as anyone could get to something that, for all intents and purposes, had no boundaries and no substance. And when they had just gotten used to the idea of life on another planet too.

Funny that. Shinichi couldn't help but wonder if there was any connection between that thought and where the translocater had decided to bring them. After all, Yuuko had told them it was listening. The question was, listening to what?

The question lingered in the back of his mind as they settled in to life on the Voyager. With so much time on their hands and nothing they were supposed to do but wait, he found himself returning to it over and over again. He'd started sketching out diagrams in his notebook of the worlds they had been to and the various aspects that defined them. There was definitely something there, he'd decided, but he still couldn't say what for sure. In the meantime there were so many new and inexplicable things that it was impossible to get bored.

"Hey Shinichi, guess what I just found!"

Shinichi lowered the gadget he'd found in their room that he was turning over and over in a vain attempt to understand and awarded the magician a flat look. "Can't you just tell me? I mean, I know and I know that you know that I couldn't possibly guess what you just found."

Kaito laughed, sliding into the seat beside the detective and looping an arm over his shoulders. "I found this room with this big platform in it that they apparently use to transport people across certain distances. It takes people apart and puts them back together somewhere else. That way they can, for instance, get down to a planet's surface to look around without having to actually land the ship."

Shinichi mulled this information over for a moment. "So they chop people into little pieces, hurl them through space, and reassemble them miles and miles away?"

"That seems to be the idea—or at least that's how I understood the explanation the engineers gave me."

"And people _survive_ this?" He couldn't keep the incredulity out of his voice. He was willing to believe a lot of things these days that he would never have given a second thought to in the past, but that… Well, there were limits even to being open-minded. "Without problems?"

"Obviously. It's not that hard to believe is it?"

Shinichi turned the idea over a few more times before letting out a resigned sigh. "Unfortunately, I guess it's not." Leaning back in his seat, he glanced again towards the window. He didn't think he'd ever get tired of looking out at the ocean of stars and passing planets. "Do you think our world's going to end up like this one someday?"

Kaito shrugged. "It depends on how far space travel gets and if aliens exist."

X

"I want to show you something."

Looking up from the mug of coffee he had just acquired from the replicator, Shinichi blinked slowly. He'd only just gotten up and frankly he wasn't really awake yet even if his eyes were open. Already not a morning person, the fact that there was no such thing as a sunrise or set to tell time by, his personal clock had been going a bit haywire.

Seeing the uncomprehending expression on the detective's face, Kaito suppressed a laugh and moved to pull Shinichi to his feet. The large, white cat that had been sleeping on the detective's lap let out a discontented hiss as it landed lightly on the floor and shot Kaito a disgruntled look before turning into a dove and flying off to join the other doves currently napping on a ledge above Kaito's bed. The magician raised an eyebrow at him before turning to steer Shinichi out of the room. He had the feeling that Kishiro was getting bored—not that he could blame him. They had decided to confine their magical and animal companions to their room to avoid unnecessary complications.

Shinichi buried his nose in his mug, trusting his companion to lead him wherever it was he wanted them to go without incident. Hopefully by the time they got there he would be awake enough to deal with whatever Kaito had in store for him. Strange, he would have thought the idea of walking blindly into something Kaito had been plotting for over the past several days should fill him with dread—or at least an acute sense of anxiety. It didn't though. If his thoughts were just a bit clearer, he might even admit to a certain degree of curious anticipation.

The magician was talking now but it wasn't to him so he didn't really bother listening to it. Except then his mug disappeared and he let out a disgruntled noise of complaint and finally looked up. He had the briefest glimpse of a rather barren room (the holodeck?) but then it was gone.

And all around them Tokyo materialized as though they had been transported from the bare, unadorned chamber right onto one of the city's streets.

X

There were the skyscrapers, their gleaming windows bright under the morning sun as they reached towards the clear, cloudless sky. There were the people flowing in streams along the streets, the constant, mingling murmur of their voices and their laughter floating over their heads like a soft cloud. There were the cars with all their colorful shells sparkling like jewels as they added the roar of engines and the honking of horns to the buzzing harmony of city life. There was even the smell of all the restaurants and traffic and sun-warmed cement. All of it washed over the two travelers like a palpable wave of life.

It was home, and yet it wasn't, and Shinichi found he wasn't sure if he was feeling less homesick or more.

"So what do you think""

Dragging his eyes away from the distant silhouette of Tokyo Tower, Shinichi found Kaito watching him with an expectant gleam in his eyes. The detective took a moment to recollect his wits and steady his nerves. He was more shaken by it all than he cared to admit.

"It's so real," he managed finally, dismayed at the slight hitch he heard in his own voice.

"They have programs for most major Earth cities through the ages," Kaito explained, tactfully ignoring the tremor in his companion's voice. "Since you can add your own modifications, I took their program for late twentieth to early twenty first century Tokyo and made a few tweaks."

"What kind of tweaks?" Shinichi asked, curious. It was easier to focus on what was happening than try to analyze the strange, twisting sensation in his stomach.

"I'll show you. Come on."

X

"Welcome to Ekoda!" Kaito declared, throwing his arms out to either side in a grandiose gesture as though to encompass all of the city before them. "Home to the great Kaitou KID! If you look to your right, you will see the Ekoda High School campus. It's not all that different from any other high school, but I hear it has some of the best parties you'll find anywhere in Tokyo! Courtesy of yours truly, of course."

"Now, if you'll come this way, you'll find the most popular ice cream parlor in the area. It's famous for its massive variety of fresh, fruit toppings. A little farther and we have Minazuri's Household Necessities!"

Shinichi gave the shop a puzzled once over. "Do they really only sell mops?"

"Er, well, no, but it was the only thing that came to mind." Kaito shrugged. "It's where Aoko gets hers. Really that's the only reason I ever took note of the place."

"So…Nakamori-san buys a lot of mops?"

"It depends. She breaks them every so often, and sometimes they—get lost."

Shinichi suspected that 'lost' probably wasn't quite the right word, but Kaito had already draped an arm over his shoulders and was moving on. He was introduced to a variety of other shops and landmarks of the Ekoda district, some of which he'd seen before but most of which were new to him. The magician had even included the Ekoda police station on their list of places to visit. Shinichi had to admit that he only heard half of what was said though. It wasn't that he wasn't interested. It was just that he couldn't help but notice how the arm that had been on his shoulders earlier had, somewhere along the way, made its way downward to drape around his waste. It was a very relaxed kind of contact but it was still much closer than he was used to being with anyone. What was distracting him however was his own surprise at how comfortable he was with the gesture. It helped that he knew all the people walking past them were only holograms but it still made him wonder… For the first time, he found himself thinking that maybe things really could work out.

"So," Kaito concluded as they came to a stop outside the main entrance to Ekoda Park, "now that you've had the grand tour, where would you like to go first? If you're hungry, we can head over to Castle Cuisines. It's got some of the best food in the district and they've got just about anything you could want on the menu. If you'd rather eat later, I was thinking we could go to the aquarium first."

"I'm not hungry yet, so—wait. The _aquarium_?" Shinichi repeated in disbelief. "Are you…sure? You're not sick, are you?" He reached up to check but the magician didn't seem to have a fever. "I thought you really hated fi—"

"But that's why we're going today," Kaito cut in before he could finish, grin widening until it looked like he was about to split his face in half. "Today's the only day it's gonna be full of things worth seeing!"

With that, he grabbed Shinichi's hand and started to haul him down the street towards the Ekoda aquarium. The detective stumbled before he got his feet under him properly and began running to keep from being dragged. His companion sure seemed eager.

"What do you mean?" he asked as they raced down the sidewalk, miraculously not bumping into a single passerby. "What did you put in it?"

"Ah, so you guessed! That's my Tantei-kun," the magician laughed, beaming. "You'll just have to wait and see~!"

The woman at the aquarium's front desk smiled brightly at them as they came in and waved for them to head straight in. Apparently they didn't need to purchase tickets. Shinichi paused by the visitor information stand, reaching for one of the building maps, but Kaito snagged his wrist before his fingertips had even come in contact with the glossy paper and he was being towed away again.

"You'll ruin the surprise," he said by way of explanation.

"Why did you even bother programming them in then?" Shinichi grumbled.

"Authenticity."

"…Of course. I guess I should've known."

"Yep. Now come on, this is going to be awesome!"

Not sure if he should be nervous but curious nonetheless, Shinichi let Kaito lead him into what appeared to be the aquarium's central chamber. The entire wall before them was composed of one, massive tank. Open archways to either side led into a series of other exhibits. Clusters of other visitors were drifting in and out of those exhibits. Kaito brought them to a halt beside the tank wall. The tank itself must have truly been enormous because neither the far wall nor the floor was visible. Looking up however you could see the faint shimmer of light that suggested that the top of the tank was open to the sky.

"Okay, so there are six main branches of exhibits in here," the magician began, sweeping an arm out to indicate the building at large.

That was when the dragon swam by. It was long and covered in glimmering, aquamarine scales. For such a massive creature, it flowed through the water with supernatural grace. It paused by the glass and turned for a moment, huge, golden eyes examining the two humans on the other side, before it turned and continued on its way. Shinichi stared after it in awe, almost forgetting to breathe.

Kaito let out a low whistle. "Wow, it turned out a lot better than I expected."

"It's incredible," Shinichi breathed, eyes fixed on the graceful shape gliding through the waters. Another dragon had appeared to join the first. This one had scales the color of pearls that shimmered in the soft light within the tank. Pale rainbows ghosted over its scales as it moved.

The grin on the magician's face grew, if possible, even wider. He did so love when someone appreciated his work. Eventually though he had to interrupt the moment.

"We still have the rest of the exhibits to see," he reminded Shinichi, wrapping an arm around the shorter boy's shoulders and prying him away from the mesmerizing sight. "You can see them again before we go."

The dragons were indisputably the highlight of the aquarium as dictated by Kaito, but they certainly weren't the only astounding creatures to be seen. There were the two prehistoric exhibits where they were presented with everything from trilobites to plesiosaurs. A kraken made a brief appearance from the black depths of one particularly dimly lit tank that had been built into one exhibit's floor. One massive, round, yellow eye glowed at them from beneath their feet as the creature's thousand tentacle arms made twisting, ghostly patterns in every direction.

"I think that one was unnecessarily creepy. What possessed you to put it under the floor?"

Kaito made a thoughtful noise in his throat. "I thought it would be cool, but I guess it might scare some people away."

The midmorning show involved yet another gargantuan tank where a sea serpent with a head the size of a sailboat was presented with a full-sized model ship which it happily crushed to bits. Afterward it posed for pictures with the wreck, looking rather pleased with itself in its own, reptilian way. It even allowed several of the more daring children in the audience to climb onto its back. For a creature that seemed to delight in its ability to reduce ships to driftwood, it apparently had a very friendly, playful nature.

In the end the sea mammal exhibit was perhaps the most normal as far as occupants were concerned—except, of course, that the museum had somehow managed to acquire two blue whales. The tank had to be bigger than the actual museum, but Shinichi supposed the discrepancy didn't really matter to a hologram no matter how real it felt. There was even a whole pod of dolphins. Granted, the pod consisted of multiple dolphin species, including the Amazon Pink Dolphin.

"You know they're river dolphins, right?"

"Of course," was the amiable reply. "It adds to the variety."

Before they left the reception lady helped them take pictures in front of the dragons, who swam obligingly closer. Their large, bejeweled eyes seemed to be smiling as they gazed down at the tiny humans below. It kind of gave Shinichi the impression that the dragons were enjoying watching their visitors just as much as their visitors were watching them.

Kaito thanked the lady and the two made their way out of the aquarium. "The computer will print them for us. So are you hungry yet?"

Shinichi opened his mouth but his stomach beat him to the punch with a growl. He blushed in embarrassment and Kaito laughed.

"I'll take that as a yes."

X

They had lunch at the Castle Cuisine restaurant that Kaito had mentioned before. The place offered dishes from all around the world in an airy, well lit building decorated with paintings of old castles from different countries and time periods.

"Back home, this place had the best chocolate cake—after Mom's anyway. I got it to look right, but I had to choose a recipe from their database for the actual product." Forking up a chunk of the dark, brown dessert, Kaito put it in his mouth.

"So does it compare to the original?" Shinichi asked curiously.

The magician put on a show of chewing slowly and swallowing before sinking into a thinking pose. "I'd give it a nine out of ten."

"Only?"

"Well, it's just not quite the same," he admitted. "Not that it isn't still good. But I guess that's only to be expected."

A solemn silence fell over the table then. They could make this place look like home, but it would never be real. Shinichi found himself wondering if the Voyager's crew members ever used their holodeck technology this way—to get a glimpse of the home they were trying so hard to return to. If they did, did they too feel this strange sense of disconnectedness? If they didn't, did they avoid it because they knew that holograms could never really compare with the real thing?

It was a sweet kind of ache though, being so close yet so very, very far away. This facsimile of home may only be an illusion but it was also the closest they could get at the moment to the real deal.

"So how's your pie?" the thief asked eventually, deciding it was time for a change of topic.

"It's good." Recognizing the change for what it was, Shinichi forked the last piece of said pie into his mouth. "So where to now?"

Kaito's face broke out into a grin. This time though, there was a certain quality to the expression that his companion couldn't remember ever having seen there before. "You'll see when we get there."

X

"This is where I live—or, well, where I would be living anyway." Leading the way up to the front door, Kaito opened it before stepping aside and sweeping into a deep bow. "After you."

Shinichi rolled his eyes at the theatrics though he was really more amused than anything else (it was funny really. When had the thief's antics become a comfort?). Cautiously, he stepped over the threshold and halted. He half expected something to explode but nothing did. In fact, it looked like any other ordinary house. The kitchen, the living room—all of it looked exactly how you would expect in any random house you walked into.

"Is there a problem?" Kaito's amused voice inquired as he watched Shinichi inspecting the kitchen cabinets like he thought they might contain hidden treasures (or maybe hidden landmines).

Shinichi looked up at the question then blushed as he realized exactly what he was doing and how rude it was. "Sorry, it's just—I kind of expected something…more."

"More?" the magician repeated, eyebrows rising to his hairline. Then his face split into a devious smirk as his eyes glittered. "Oh, that. You wouldn't expect me to leave my equipment lying around where just anyone could find it, did you? If you want to see the lair, you'll have to wait until we get home. I didn't put it in the program."

"_Lair_?"

Kaito shrugged. "Headquarters, secret base, hideout, whatever you want to call it. Anyhow, I didn't bring you here just so you could see what my place looks like. Follow me."

Turning, he led Shinichi through the house. The detective couldn't help but notice that there was an extra bounce in his step. Their journey came to an end in front of a large painting of a tall man with twinkling, indigo eyes decked out like a stage magician.

"This is my dad," Kaito said proudly. "He was the best magician in the world! Well, one day I'm going to be better, but that's beside the point."

Shinichi looked from the painting to Kaito and back again, suddenly at a loss as to what to say. The man in the picture was Kaito's father—the man who had been murdered because he'd been the first Kaitou KID.

What was he supposed to say? What _could_ he say?

Why was Kaito even showing him this?

Well, okay, he could probably make a pretty well educated guess as to the answer to that one. And he wasn't sure how he felt about that. He was touched at the gesture, happy that Kaito would want to share such an important memory with him, sad that the magician had had to lose someone so obviously so important to him at such a young age, guilty because it seemed like he should say something but he wasn't sure what, and uncomfortable because he felt a little like he was intruding.

"I met your father once, you know," he said finally, gaze still fixed on the painting before them.

That caught Kaito by surprise. "Really?"

"Yeah. I was still in elementary school—the first time, I mean. Ran and I went to the school library to investigate the story about there being a ghost there that appeared on nights with a full moon. When we got there, we met the so-called ghost who challenged me to solve a riddle. I…uh, kind of got it wrong," he admitted, blushing faintly in embarrassment, "but I found the thing again my second time through grade school and got it right that time. I believe it was supposed to be a message for my dad, but I still don't know what it was supposed to mean."

"Oh? What did it say?"

"Nothing. It was just a question mark. Well, that and it was signed by KID."

Kaito blinked then started laughing. "That's Dad for you." He gave the painting one last, long look before turning away (and it seemed to Shinichi that his posture seemed straighter—more determined). "So did you want to see your house?"

"You did my house too?" he asked in surprise.

"Yeah," Kaito replied, tone entirely too matter of fact. "Who knows when we'll get another chance to see home? We might as well take advantage of the opportunity. We can take the bus. I set it up so there would be one that'll take us straight there."

"Well, I guess there wouldn't be any harm in going."

X

It felt surreal to actually be standing in his own front hall again. Suddenly it seemed like only yesterday that he had finally returned to it for good after getting back to his proper age and moving out of the Mouri Detective Agency. Or at least he'd thought it would be for good. Little had he known then that he would soon be off again, this time even farther away than he had ever believed possible.

Absently, he slipped out of his shoes and wandered into the living room. He made a slow circuit around it before heading into the kitchen. There was a hot pot of coffee in the coffeemaker. He stared at it for a moment then shook his head, a slightly wistful smile making its way onto his face.

"So would you like some coffee?" he asked, heading to the cupboards in search of mugs.

"Sure." Kaito slid into a seat at the kitchen table. It was kind of funny really how easily his detective had slipped into treating this place like his own house just because it looked right. On the other hand, that had been at least part of the magician's intention. Since they didn't know when they would get back, he had felt it would be good for them to get a glimpse of home. It was also a reminder, in a sense, of where they had come from and what they were striving for.

Carrying the two full mugs to the table, Shinichi set one down before Kaito then took a seat himself. The magician snapped his fingers and a pot of sugar appeared in a puff of smoke. He began to spoon the white powder into his mug. He didn't stop until well past what Shinichi thought should be tolerable. He wouldn't be surprised if they found sugar lumps still lying at the bottom of Kaito's mug when the magician finished drinking.

"Do you know how long they've been on this ship?"

Kaito looked up from where he was drowning his coffee in sugar. He didn't have to ask who Shinichi was referring to. "Not precisely."

"I heard it's been years."

Kaito hummed thoughtfully, finally leaving off on the sugar project and taking a drink. "But they haven't given up."

"No, they haven't."

Shifting in his seat, Kaito snapped the fingers of his free hand again. A moment later a chess board appeared on the table between them with the pieces all set up. "Care for a game?"

X

They had both finished their coffee and two rounds of chess, but it was clear to the magician's practiced eyes that Shinichi wasn't quite ready to leave yet.

"We could watch a movie," he suggested.

The knowing smile playing around Kaito's lips suggested he understood exactly how Shinichi was feeling. "I'll order pizza then."

It took the pizza less than a minute to arrive after Shinichi had hung up the phone, which wasn't particularly surprising but was a little sudden. Shinichi's feet automatically headed for the door to answer it so Kaito made his way to the living room to begin perusing the DVDs there.

The deliveryman told Shinichi that the pizza had already been paid for. The detective thanked him and carried the cardboard box into the kitchen first. There he collected some plates and napkins before taking the whole lot to the living room.

"How about this one?" Kaito asked when he arrived, holding up a DVD box so that Shinichi could see the cover.

"I don't own that movie," the detective noted. "Actually, I've never even heard of it."

"The selection's from this world's Earth. I didn't actually watch any of them yet, but these all got pretty good ratings."

Shinichi shook his head in amazement. "You really did think of everything, didn't you?"

Kaito flashed him a smug look. "Naturally. I am always prepared. So would you like to try this one or should I pick something else?"

"Anything's fine. It's not like we'd know which one was better anyway."

"That's true. This one it is then." The thief popped the disc into the DVD player and moved to get himself a slice of pizza from the box. A few minutes later they were both settled on the couch with food in hand and fresh cups of coffee (for Shinichi) and soda (for Kaito) sitting on the table before them. Even if it was a hologram and half the actors on the screen were aliens, it felt just like having a movie night back home, and he was content to let that delusion swallow the moment.

He wasn't sure when Kaito had scooted closer and snaked an arm around his middle. When he noticed though, he didn't say anything. Instead he spent a few minutes analyzing how the gesture made him feel. Did it make him uncomfortable? No, he couldn't say it did. Did he actually like it? …He had to admit that it was kind of nice. Being here, it was easy to imagine being with Kaito back in their real home, and it didn't feel as strange as he'd thought it might. Unexpected, certainly, but not in a bad way.

The realization made him feel oddly relieved.

By the time the movie had ended the sky outside was dark. Empty plates were stacked neatly on top of the pizza box beside their equally empty cups. The credits scrolling across the screen didn't mean much to either of them, but they watched them anyway, not willing yet to break the comfortable silence. But then it really was over and Kaito switched off the TV.

Shinichi's breath left him in a soft sigh. "I guess we should be going huh?"

"Yeah."

"I do have one question though."

"Yes?"

"How do you know what my house looks like _on the inside_?"

"Oh look at the time. If we don't hurry we're going to miss our last show!"

X

Somehow Shinichi wasn't surprised to discover that the last stop Kaito had planned for their trip down memory lane was the roof of the very hotel where they had first met and spoken face to face.

"I thought about going to the clock tower instead, but since we didn't really meet per se I thought this place was more fitting."

Shinichi chuckled. "Especially considering I didn't even know that was you at the clock tower until after we met here and I went back to look up more information about your old heists."

The thief's jaw dropped. "How could you _not_ know it was me?" he demanded, flabbergasted and maybe a touch affronted at the thought that anyone could attend one of his heists and _not_ know him. Arriving without prior knowledge was one thing, but leaving without even his _name_? Unforgivable!

Shinichi shrugged, hiding a smile. "It just didn't seem important at the time. Besides, after I figured out your message, it was obvious you were only trying to protect the place."

Kaito blinked then laughed, moving to join him by the edge of the roof and slipping an arm into its increasingly familiar place around the detective's waist. "I suppose. But I'm hurt; I kinda hoped I'd left more of an impression than that." He heaved a melodramatic sigh. "I mean, I always remembered that heist as one of my favorite, and here you're telling me you forgot all about it just like that."

"Well, you certainly left an impression the second time. I thought you were insane." And amazing, and maybe a little intimidating, but he was never admitting that out loud.

"I get that a lot," Kaito said sagely, a smirk making its way across his face. "I guess it's like they say. No one understands a true genius."

"Then you must truly be phenomenal," the detective quipped.

"Why thank you. It warms my heart to know that you think so highly of me."

Shinichi gave him one of those _looks_ that made Kaito want to start snickering but before he could say anything they were interrupted by the bang and whistle of fireworks. Both teens turned in unison to see the sudden explosion of colored lights across the black canvas of the sky. It was every bit as spectacular as Shinichi would expect from a show designed by Kuroba Kaito.

The magician, however, let out a quiet breath that almost sounded like a sigh. "It's more fun actually making them, but at least it looks right." Despite his comment, his tone was clearly dissatisfied.

It was the first time that day that Shinichi had seen anything resembling real homesickness in the magician's eyes. He'd almost started to believe that he was the only one the scenery was getting to.

"You did a really good job, you know," he said softly, leaning slightly into the magician's side. "On all of it I mean, not just the fireworks."

"Good." Indigo eyes wandered over the thousands of shining windows and headlights dotting the ocean of darkness below, taking on a distant gleam. "I thought this would be a great idea at first, but now I'm not so sure. It's just not the same."

"It isn't," Shinichi agreed, following his gaze to the city spread out below. "But I'm glad you did it. Thank you." Because, even if it was a little painful, it was good to remember.

A small, genuine smile made its way onto Kaito's face. "In that case, I suppose I can consider this venture to be a success."

X

They returned to their quarters to be greeted by Aome's excited coos and the flapping of feathery wings. All the doves were crowded onto the table by the window like a crowd around an interesting sight. Kaito whistled and they dispersed, returning obediently to their perches. Only the two pseudo doves remained standing on either side of a green, stone mask.

"Well, it looks like the vacation's over," Kaito observed, picking up the miniature mask and turning it over in his hands. "Kind of an odd shape it's chosen. Wonder what it means."

Shinichi sighed. "Who knows. Maybe the next world's really into theater."

The magician let out a snort of laughter at that. "We'll find out tomorrow."

That night Shinichi dreamed of silent fireworks blooming in a sky filled with the light of glowing windows as though the sky itself was a curved window beyond which a city floated in the dark expanses of outer space. Then the rainbow sparks of the fireworks were falling all around him and he realized that they were stars—tiny stars each carrying a miniature image in its glowing heart. There were the faces of people he knew and people he only vaguely remembered. There were places he'd been and things he'd seen. They were so close he thought he could touch them if he just reached out, but when he tried he discovered that even the closest was just beyond his fingertips.

Then he noticed that there was nothing under his feet and he was falling with the lights into the star-spangled void. No, wait, he wasn't falling, he was flying. There was a hand holding his, pulling him forward.

Looking up, he caught a glimpse of white teeth in a grinning face and the glint of glass.

_ "Where are we going?"_

_ "Where? Why, to the end of the world! Where else?"_

**TBC**

* * *

**Next**: Walking with Spirits [Bleach]

Question: Do you guys have any preferences as to if the Bleach section should take place in the human world or soul society? There is a chance I might do both, but there's also a chance I won't so I thought I'd ask.

**A.N**: I'm looking forward to the next one, though I haven't made up my mind exactly what the plot is going to be yet. Suggestions are welcome. Well, I hope you all enjoyed. Have a merry Christmas and a happy New year! Hopefully, progress will be faster next year, hehe ^^U.


	11. Walking with Spirits

**A.N**: Er, I know this took a looooong time, but it's also the longest chapter to date. ^.^U I was originally going to cut it into halves, but my sister talked me out of it. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own DCMK or Bleach

* * *

11: Walking with Spirits

(World 11: Bleach)

"Hand over your money and valuables, Suit, and you won't get hurt!"

Kaito looked from the knives the stranger and his compatriots were pointing at him to the speaker's masked and hooded face and back again. He wasn't particularly impressed. The masked man and his two companions had (very clumsily) surrounded him when he'd decided to cut through this alley and were now actually trying the whole "your money or your life" routine. They didn't even have the courtesy to be well-dressed, he thought with irritation. Seriously, black woolen scarves and black hooded sweaters? Some people had no sense of style.

"I don't really have time for this," he informed them, just in case they wanted to change their minds. He felt a little like he should give them the chance. Normally, he wouldn't have bothered, but these three were just too pathetic. "You should really go home and rethink what you want to do with your lives."

The statement seemed to befuddle the leader of the three as he actually lowered his weapon for a moment before raising it again. "We ain't joking around here!"

"Neither am I."

"The hell is wrong with you?" one of the other two demanded with the frustrated anger of the thoroughly confused. Obviously, this wasn't how the world was supposed to work in his mind, and his sensibilities were rebelling at the change. Or maybe thinking was just too painful.

Kaito sighed. "Listen here. I'm not going to ask again. Are you going to let me pass or not? I have much more pleasant company than you lot waiting for me, you know."

"You aren't going anywhere until you hand over your wallet!" the original speaker declared, falling back on what he knew. He waved his knife threateningly for good measure. The other two followed his example like good little flunkies.

Kaito twitched. He'd never had much patience for idiots—especially not idiots who liked to brandish weapons like that gave them some kind of _right_ to things.

The three would-be-thieves never knew what hit them.

X

It was nice to be back on Earth again and in Japan in particular, even if it was only the Earth and Japan of a different universe. He'd never heard of a Karakura before, but after having been on entirely foreign planets one came to truly appreciate that that really was a very minor detail. Although he had to admit that he had greatly enjoyed the chance to see outer space. It was one experience among many that he had had over the course of their journey that he would never forget (and which he was starting to be able to appreciate more and more as time wore away the shock and anxiety from the beginning of it all).

His first thought once he had established where he was, was that he would ask Kishiro to lead him to Kaito. Once they had met up, they could proceed to deal with securing shelter. This plan, however, was thwarted when he ran into a member of the local police.

"You!" the officer barked. "Why aren't you in school?"

Shinichi blanked for a moment, wondering what in the world the man was talking about. He hadn't been to school in months—and that included the one for wizards. In fact, he hadn't even seriously _thought_ about school for most of that time. He certainly had no such obligations here. Then it struck him that the man must think he was ditching. With that in mind, he opened his mouth to answer, mind racing for a good excuse.

The officer, however, didn't wait for him to speak. The man simply took him by the arm and hauled him off to the local high school, muttering all the while about kids these days not appreciating a good education—and don't think he was getting away just by not wearing his proper uniform!

Twenty minutes later, Shinichi found himself seated in a classroom, listening to a lecture about Japanese history. The teacher had given him a slightly confused look, but she had apparently decided that Shinichi was a new student and therefore dealt with the situation as such. The detective was introduced to the class, assigned a seat, and told he would have to work on catching up on his own. Rather than argue the situation, Shinichi decided it would be easier to go along with it. Learning a bit more about the people here could only help. And, well…it was kind of nice to be in high school again. He knew people who would probably think he was crazy for even thinking such a thing, but he had missed this.

A sudden, shrill noise sliced through the classroom, making Shinichi jump. He looked around for the source, wondering why the rest of the students weren't doing the same—or, no, a few of them must have heard it too. A tall boy with bright orange hair had just shot to his feet and asked to be excused to the bathroom. The teacher agreed absently as she continued writing out dates on the board. The boy was followed shortly by two girls—one asking to go to the nurse's office and the other offering to take her there. Moments later, they too were gone. Then class continued as though nothing had happened, and no one commented on the fact that none of the three had returned by the time the bell rang. A common occurrence, perhaps?

It was odd, but Shinichi had to admit that it wasn't really any of his business.

A math test and some English later, lunch finally arrived. This was his chance. Slipping out of his seat, he took advantage of the chaos that inevitably followed the sudden release of restless students to make his own escape.

He wasn't entirely surprised to see a familiar figure in a white suit lounging by the school gates, waiting for him.

"Did you really miss school so much that you decided to enroll yourself?" Kaito asked the moment he was within earshot.

Shinichi rolled his eyes. "No. I was caught by an officer who thought I was skipping."

"Ah, that certainly explains it. So how was class?"

Shinichi took a moment to really think about the question. The materials they'd covered in class had been fairly standard and mostly familiar, but that sense of normalcy in and of itself had been refreshing. In the end, he settled for an earnest, "It was interesting. Though some kind of alarm went off in the middle of my first period. Most of the class didn't seem to care though, so I guess it was probably something private."

"Think you'll want to come back?"

"I doubt I could even if I wanted to. They have to realize soon that I'm not actually a student."

"True." Slinging an arm over the shorter boy's shoulders, Kaito started down the street away from the school. "Well, in that case, how about some lunch?"

As if on cue, Shinichi's stomach growled loudly, making the detective blush (why did his stomach keep doing that to him? It was a conspiracy!). The thief laughed.

X

In another part of town, an orange-haired teen was grumbling. "So where the hell is it?"

The small, black-haired girl standing a few steps away frowned, staring down at a device that resembled a cell phone. "I don't know. The signal's gone."

"Is it just me, or is that thing broken more often than it works?"

"It's never been broken," the girl retorted, annoyed. "There were good reasons every time."

"But this is, what, the twentieth false alarm?"

The girl blew out her breath in a resigned huff. "I'll drop by Urahara's after school to get it looked at, but I still say we should keep our eyes peeled. Something's not right."

"Yeah, well, I'm gonna go see if anyone else found anything."

X

"We can't afford to eat somewhere like that," Shinichi hissed urgently when his eyes landed on what appeared to be their destination, digging in his heels—or trying to anyway. Kaito seemed to know exactly how to shift his weight to abort his every attempt. "And I really don't think it looks like the kind of place that will let you use a magic show for payment."

Kaito only laughed and continued to drag his reluctant companion towards the front door of the restaurant he'd chosen (he'd passed it on his way to meet up with Shinichi and he'd already scoped it out and deemed it worthy). "Don't worry so much. I've got everything covered." He waved a bulging wallet in front of Shinichi's face before making it disappear. "We deserve a treat."

Shinichi frowned at him. "Where did you get so much money so fast?" Come to think of it, that hadn't looked like Kaito's wallet. His frown deepened. "And whose wallet was that?"

The magician didn't so much as bat an eye at the accusation. Instead, his grin actually grew wider. "Well, these three bozos tried to mug me—I think it was the suit. Anyway, it seemed they had a pretty good haul on them. Since they won't be needing any cash where they're going, I thought I'd relieve them of it. It's only fair considering how they made me waste my time sending them to the police station. I should have enough to get us a few nights in a decent hotel too."

"So…you mugged some muggers," Shinichi said, just to be sure he had the story straight.

"And turned them in to the police."

"Oh. I…guess that's all right then." He could almost feel sorry for the poor fools. It must have been a rather traumatizing experience. Then again, they'd brought it on themselves. And maybe they'd take the hint, learn the lesson, and shape up before they progressed to any more serious crimes.

Even if they didn't learn anything, they might very likely be too frightened of the prospect of ever running into someone else like Kaito to dare stray from the straight and narrow again. He almost laughed at the mental picture that brought up. Let them experience a little of what the police had been suffering for years.

Pulling open the restaurant door, Kaito grinned and swept him a bow. "After you."

Shinichi rolled his eyes but smiled as he walked inside. "You always have to be putting on a show, don't you?"

Kaito chuckled. "What can I say? It's in my blood."

They were seated a few minutes later at a table by one of the restaurant's second-floor windows. Shinichi was relieved to see that he recognized everything on the menu. Not that he didn't like to try new foods, but it made it difficult to order when everything was foreign. He still remembered the first time they'd looked at the replicator's menu on the spaceship. They hadn't known how to navigate it yet and they'd spent fifteen minutes wandering through lists upon lists of alien dishes. At that point they'd decided to take the close your eyes and stab your finger at it approach—and ended up with a bowl almost entirely occupied by what Shinichi could only describe as a cluster of orange worms soaked in moss green slime. Needless to say, neither of them had eaten it. Fortunately, they'd found the Earth menus shortly after that.

"What are you thinking about?"

Coming back to the present, Shinichi looked up from his menu and blinked. "Huh?"

The magician chuckled. "Seriously, you were miles away."

"More like light years," the detective replied with a wry smile. "It's kind of nice to be back on Earth."

"True," the magician agreed with a light laugh. "Although you may not want to say that too loudly. We don't want to get carted off to the loony bin."

Or sent to see another shrink, Shinichi thought to himself with a mental grimace. That was still one of his most embarrassing memories to date.

Their waitress returned with their drinks. "Are you ready to order?"

"I am. Shinichi?"

The detective nodded. They placed their orders and the girl moved to collect their menus. Before she could, Kaito snapped his fingers, causing the menus to slide together and fly into his hand. Their waitress stared as he offered them to her along with a yellow rose.

She took both with a laugh. "How did you do that?"

He waved an admonishing finger and grinned. "Ah, ah, a magician never reveals his secrets."

"Ah, trade secrets, I see. Well, I'll be right back with your orders."

Catching Shinichi watching him as the girl walked away, Kaito made another rose appear with a flick of his wrist. This one was a deep, rich crimson. He offered it to Shinichi, who blinked.

The detective could feel his face growing warmer, but he took the flower and set it on the dish beside his coffee cup.

Kaito's grin seemed to grow brighter as he launched into a description of a botanical garden he'd seen earlier that he thought they could visit. The place had had a large sign outside announcing an exotic new exhibit sporting what might be a newly discovered species of tree. Shinichi didn't think that either of them knew enough about botany to truly appreciate an exotic tree unless it was truly bizarre, but new discoveries were always worth some attention.

"And hey, you never know, it could turn out to be some alien seedling from Mars here to take over Earth's still-life population!"

Shinichi groaned. "Don't jinx it."

"Oops. Well, just in case, I promise to protect you from any alien plant monsters that may have been attracted by my comments."

"…Right, you do that."

It was with full stomachs and light spirits that they left the restaurant with plans to pick up some newspapers before looking for a hotel.

And, of course, that was when they saw their first monster.

It was big and black and looked like a cross between a gargoyle and a bear with a dash of wild boar if those tusks were anything to go by. Hunchbacked as it was, it still managed to be level with the second floor windows of the surrounding buildings at the shoulder. Its head was located somewhat below that, and it was the only part of the creature that wasn't black. Instead, it was bone white—possibly quite literally, as the structure of its face bore a remarkable resemblance to the face of a skull. Massive, curving tusks protruded from wide, heavyset jaws. Above them, a pair of black and yellow eyes stared hungrily from eye sockets so deep that they made the thing's face look more like a mask than its actual face. That thought summoned the image of a green, stone mask into Shinichi's mind. So maybe that really was what it was, although he couldn't for the life of him imagine why a monster would need to wear a mask. It wasn't like it could hide what it was, and it certainly didn't need the extra help to look monstrous.

The strangest thing about the monster, however, was the fact that it had a hole in the middle of its chest. It was almost perfectly round and he could see straight through it to the sky beyond. It didn't look like a wound, but it didn't look like something natural either. It should be getting in the way of all sorts of organs, not to mention the creature's spine. Although perhaps he shouldn't be trying to apply his knowledge of animal biology to a monster.

Wait a moment. Why wasn't anyone screaming?

"Kaito," he said hesitantly. "Do you…see that?"

The magician gave him a look with raised eyebrows then glanced back in the monster's direction. "Well, it _is_ two stories tall. Kind of hard to miss, yes?"

So it wasn't just him. He felt both relieved and perplexed. So it wasn't something only he could see, but no one was screaming. Did that mean it was normal and harmless?

He looked back at the monster.

…No, he decided. Normal or not, that thing was most definitely not harmless.

A little girl came bursting from the crowded street before them, and suddenly the entire atmosphere changed. The monster's yellow eyes zeroed in on her and its massive jaws gaped open to emit an earsplitting roar. The sound ripped through the air in almost tangible waves. Then the monster lunged, long arms swinging. One clawed hand smashed through a shop window as it missed the girl by hairs. Alarms shrilled, and now (finally?) people were screaming.

The beast's bony shoulder crushed the side of a street sign as it charged. It was followed by a streetlight that snapped in half. The top half fell towards the street and right over someone's windshield. The driver yelled. His car swerved wildly before smashing into the side of a vehicle in the next lane.

In a mere handful of seconds, the entire street was in a state of utter chaos.

Shinichi barely noticed. All of his attention was on the monster and the little girl it was chasing. Her eyes were wide in abject terror as she zigzagged down the street, dodging people and debris alike. Yet it didn't seem to matter how fast she ran or which way she turned. The beast remained right on her heels.

Shinichi's hand dropped automatically to his belt buckle. An instant later a soccer ball went spinning through the air to smack the monster in the jaw just as it was about to chomp down on its prey. The girl tripped and landed flat on her stomach with a shriek. The monster too howled, staggering back and shaking its head violently from side to side like a dog shaking off water. Kaito took the opportunity to dart forward and scoop the girl off the ground—or, to be more accurate, to _try_ because his hands went right through her. He stared.

"What the—"

"Kaito! Look up!"

The magician looked up to find his field of vision filled with a rapidly expanding patch of black rimmed by massive teeth. He could jump out of the way, but that would just leave the little girl vulnerable. Confused as he was about her apparent insubstantiality, her terror for the monster was clear enough.

So, instead of dodging, he took door number two and hurled the lightning he'd been forming in his hand into its stomach (he would have aimed for its chest, but it had a hole in it, and that seemed like it would have defeated the point). The crackling bolt of stark, white energy caught the creature head on and it doubled over. Its anguished shriek rose in pitch and it thrashed, smashing yet more windows and crushing the corner of one of the shorter buildings. It lashed out, smashing through a display window and tearing a decorative shelf full of fine china right out of the shop. Flower-painted shards mixed in with the glass. The shop's owner screeched. Alarms shrilled up and down the street, adding yet another layer to the uproar.

Shinichi ran to where Kaito was still standing like a sentry over the sobbing girl and knelt beside her. "You'll be okay," he said soothingly, hoping he was right. "Can you stand?"

She sat up and swiped the back of her hand across her eyes. "I—I think so." Wide, scared eyes turned to look at him then up at Kaito. "Who—"

"I'm sorry Ojou-san, but I think we should talk about this later," the magician said without turning around. Thin threads of blue energy danced in the air around his right hand. The sparks around his left were turning orange and taking on the flickering quality of fire. Shinichi stared for a moment, still unused to such sights, then tore his gaze away to focus once more on the girl. That was when he noticed the odd little chain dangling from the middle of her chest. A fashion accessory? Never mind, that wasn't important.

Still trembling, the little girl clambered to her feet. "It won't help. There's always another one. I—I don't know what to do." By the end of her raspy declaration, her eyes were once more filled with tears. Shinichi reached out to place a hand on her shoulder, but, like with Kaito, his hand passed through her like she wasn't even there. He watched helplessly as she burst once more into tears. Seeing her more clearly now, he'd say she couldn't have been more than seven or eight years old. If she was a ghost, as he was starting to suspect, it was a terribly young age to have died…

Kaito tensed. "It's coming back!"

The child froze and Shinichi stood quickly.

The masked beast loomed over them, toothy maw hanging open and yellow eyes sharp with hunger. It didn't, however, immediately throw itself at them as it regarded Kaito with wary dislike. But its hesitation didn't last long. Soon hunger overpowered fear and it charged again, tusks lowered.

"Get down!"

The shout had come from an unfamiliar voice. Shinichi started as a blur of black flashed past over their heads. Kaito ducked and shifted closer to his companions, indigo eyes focused on the newcomer.

It was a tall young man with bright orange hair. He was dressed in rather old-fashioned clothes, Kaito mused, but that was nothing compared to the sword in his hands. The blade was about as long as the teen was tall and bore a rather distinct resemblance to a kitchen cleaver. It should have been quite the unwieldy weapon, but the stranger swung it with the ease of long practice.

Leaping straight at the monster, the stranger brought his sword up and over his head in a clean, downward sweep. The blade sliced right through the monster's head. Its mask shattered and it let out a last, furious roar before dissolving in a rapidly dispersing cloud of sparks. The teen landed lightly on his feet just as the last of the beast's black body vanished into thin air. He swung his sword up over his shoulder and turned to look around the street, possibly checking for more monsters. By now most of the pedestrians had cleared out of the area or were standing along the outskirts of the destruction to gawk at the debris. None of them spared the orange-haired teen a second glance, though several were eyeing Kaito and Shinichi with furrowed brows.

The stranger's brown eyes landed on the two travelers as well. Catching them and the little girl behind them all staring at him, he blinked, almost as though he was surprised. His gaze swept quickly up and down each of the three before focusing on Shinichi's face. He blinked again. "Hey, aren't you the new student from school?"

"Uh, yes, but that was a bit of a misunderstanding," Shinichi said.

"So you can see me."

"I take it that means some people can't," Kaito mused, glancing over at the rubberneckers. "Would that happen to apply to that monster that was here just now as well?"

"You mean the hollow? Yeah, that's right." In the distance, sirens sounded. The young man looked up then back at them. "You should get out of here before someone decides you guys have something to do with this." He jerked a thumb at the mess.

Both Kaito and Shinichi glanced automatically towards the ghost child. Brown eyes followed their gazes and softened as they focused on her as well.

"Right. Almost forgot," the teen muttered, apparently to himself, before stepping towards her.

"Hold on a moment." Kaito shifted so that he was standing in front of the wide-eyed girl. "What are you doing?"

The stranger held up a placating hand. "Hey there, you don't have to worry. I'm not going to hurt her." He paused as the flashing lights of police cars came into view. He let out a slightly frustrated breath as he scratched at the back of his head. His eyes flickered to the little girl again. "You know what, let's just get out of here, and then I'll explain."

X

It took some persuading, but they managed to convince the little girl to go with them just in time to avoid being arrested (not, Kaito pointed out with a wicked grin, that the police would have stood a chance against the great Kaitou KID even had they stayed). They hadn't, however, been able to get far. About two blocks from the site of the hollow attack, the ghost girl reached the end of her chain—literally. It wasn't always visible, but it seemed the chain Shinichi had mistaken for some kind of accessory was in reality a chain that connected ghosts to the places where they'd died. The four of them ducked into an alley between two office buildings to get out from under the eye of the general public.

Kaito checked automatically to make sure they hadn't been followed before turning to the stranger with the sword. "So then, who are you again?"

"I'm Kurosaki Ichigo, substitute shinigami. And you two are?"

"Kuroba Kaito," the thief replied with a showman's bow. His top hat appeared out of nowhere to accompany the gesture then vanished again as he straightened. "I believe you've met Shinichi here already. Incidentally, are monsters like that one you disposed of common in your world? We're a little new here. A heads up would be much appreciated."

Ichigo blinked. "You mean hollows? There have been more of them lately, I guess. Though we've been getting a lot of false alarms too."

"They keep chasing me," the little girl interjected, her hands gripping her own upper arms as though to shield herself from cold. "I—I can't take it anymore. Why do they keep attacking me? I've never done anything wrong. I've never hurt anyone. I just want to go home…"

"Where is your home?" Shinichi asked gently.

The girl's face scrunched up and her eyes filled with tears. "It—it's not there anymore. There was a fire. Mom and dad were in it. I—I don't know where they are. I can't find them anywhere."

Understanding flashed across Ichigo's face. His expression grew stern though his eyes were kind.

"You should really move on," he told her. "Your mom and dad should be there too."

"But I don't know how," the girl whispered, her hands twisting into the hem of her shirt. "A—and I'm, I just…" She shook her head, clearly scared.

He crouched and offered her a reassuring smile. "I can help you."

She took a hasty step back, eyes going wide again. "I—I don't know… Where would I go?"

Ichigo considered her fearful face for a moment before moving to sit with his back against the alley wall. He patted the ground beside him. The girl hesitated then sat down, pulling her knees to her chest and wrapping her arms around them. Patiently, the substitute shinigami explained about a ritual he called a soul burial. It was, he told her, a very simple process that would help her pass on to a place called the Soul Society, which Shinichi gathered was some kind of spirit realm. The girl listened in silence, her gaze fixed on the blank wall on the other side of the alley. The travelers listened just as intently.

"Will it hurt?" she asked when he had finished.

"Not at all."

"Okay then." She nodded to herself and stood up, her soul chain clinking softly. She took a deep breath and turned to face Ichigo. "I'll go."

"Right." Rising to his feet as well, Ichigo took a firm grip on the hilt of his sword. The pommel immediately began to glow white.

The ghost girl visibly braced herself. Then the sword hilt tapped her on the forehead right between the eyes and a glow blossomed in the air around her. Flickering lights rose around her and her face broke out into a relieved smile just before she faded away entirely.

"Thank you."

Ichigo slung his sword onto his back and turned his attention back to the watching travelers. "Did I hear you say something about another world?"

"That's right," Kaito agreed amiably, producing a set of juggling balls.

The orange-haired teen regarded them with a speculative eye. It was curious and a little wary. "So what world would that be? You don't seem to be shinigami, and you aren't hollows."

The magician chuckled. "I think we're from a little farther than that."

"I see." Ichigo mulled this over then shrugged.

"But we're human," Shinichi added quickly then wondered why he'd felt the need to clarify.

Before the teen could respond, a new voice called out, "Ichigo!"

Moments later, a small, black-haired girl dressed much like Ichigo himself landed beside them. Her dark eyes darted quickly over the three young men before focusing on Ichigo. "What happened?"

X

They had been escorted to a candy shop of all places. It was a rather out-of-the-way candy shop with no customers that they could see. The only person around appeared to be a small girl with black pigtails who was carefully sweeping the yard. She looked up at their approach and blinked big, dark eyes.

"Oh, hello Rukia," she said in a voice so soft it was almost inaudible.

"Hi Ururu. Is Urahara here?"

"Um, he went out a while ago, but I think he should be back soon."

"We'll wait for him then, if that's all right."

The little girl nodded, her eyes shifting to peer curiously at the travelers. She didn't say anything to them though.

Now they were being served tea by a rather peculiar blue penguin bird thing, a slightly flat and rectangular rabbit, and a long, skinny green creature Shinichi really couldn't put a name to. He couldn't keep his eyes off them as he tried to figure out what exactly they were. Frankly they looked like stuffed animals, but experience dictated that looks could be deceiving.

Kaito cleared his throat, causing all three of the critters to turn towards him. "So what kind of…creatures might you be?"

"We're Mod Souls," the rabbit explained, puffing out its chest as its ears curled up in excited cheer. "At your service. Would you like some sugar with your tea?"

"Yes, thank you."

"Didn't you already put three teaspoons of sugar in there?" the blue penguin asked, putting her stubby wings on where her hips would've been had she been human. "You know it's not good for you to consume too much sugar."

"Oh come now Ririn," the rabbit protested, waving an ear. "Don't be such a spoilsport. They're our guests!"

"I was just saying it isn't healthy," the penguin grumbled back. "I didn't say he couldn't have it anyway if he doesn't care about that."

As the two fell to bickering, the skinny green one offered Kaito the sugar container. It waited patiently until the magician had finished. When Kaito thanked it, it nodded and proceeded without a word to carry the container to Shinichi.

"No thank you," said the detective. The creature nodded again and replaced the sugar container. It seemed this particular Mod Soul was the silent type.

"Really Ririn, why must you always be so bossy?"

"I am not bossy!"

Shinichi lifted his cup to his lips, noting out of the corner of his eye that Kaito's eyes were twinkling with mirth. It felt rather a lot like they were witnessing an argument between siblings. Shinichi wondered if perhaps they should intervene as the two were squabbling right beside the steaming teapot, but the door slid open before he could make up his mind.

"Hello there!" In walked a man wearing a floppy, white and black striped hat. He had a cheerful, open smile on his face as he moved to take a seat at the table. The stuffed animal creatures stopped arguing immediately to greet him before hurrying to pour another cup of tea. "So, Rukia tells me you two are from another world."

Kaito grinned, taking a sip from his own cup. "That's right. We've been traveling for quite some time now. Seen some pretty amazing things along the way. This isn't even the first time something's tried to eat us—though it is the first time the thing with the big teeth has been selectively invisible."

The man laughed. "Oh, they're not invisible. It's just that, among the living, only those with higher levels of spirit energy have the ability to see them."

"Kind of a fine line though," Shinichi muttered more to himself than to the other occupants of the room, but the newcomer apparently had keen ears.

"That's true," he agreed.

Kaito set his cup down. "Since you said living, I'm assuming the rules are a little different for the dead."

"You would be correct."

"So then these hollow things are spirits of some kind? Or are they demons?"

"Oh no, I assure you, demons are quite different." The smile fell from the shopkeeper's face. He took a long sip from his cup before answering. "In fact, all hollows were human once. Rukia told me you two were helping a child's soul escape a hollow earlier. Is that right?"

Both travelers nodded.

"Then I'm sure you noticed that she had a soul chain."

They nodded again.

"Well, you see, if a soul stays in the world of the living too long after death, that chain will eventually break and a hole open in its chest. That is when you know that a soul has lost its heart completely. That is also when the mask forms and it becomes a hollow—a creature driven by raw instinct and hunger that will seek out and devour other souls."

"Is there any way to change them back?" asked Shinichi. The memory of the masked monster was still fresh in his mind, and the thought that it had once been human made his stomach twist. It didn't seem fair somehow.

"I am afraid there is not. The transformation can't be reversed. That's just how it is."

"But then what? They just—get killed?"

The shopkeeper didn't speak immediately. Instead, he refilled his teacup, all the while contemplating the detective with that enigmatic half-smile on his face. It was impossible to tell what he was thinking, but Shinichi had the distinct impression that this Urahara was reading his mind. When the man finally spoke, Shinichi didn't miss the knowing note in his voice.

"It's not quite as simple as that," he said. "It's the duty of the shinigami to protect souls from hollows and help them pass on. You slay a hollow by destroying its mask. However, when a shinigami slays a hollow, it's not so much killing as it is cleansing. Perhaps it would be best if you think about it as a release. They can't ever go back to being who they were, but it's not the final toll of the bell either. There is a cycle and a balance to these things."

"Oh." Shinichi sat back and absorbed the new information.

"But enough about that," the shopkeeper exclaimed, waving away the somber atmosphere with a flick of the wrist before his face broke out into a grin. "So tell me, if you're not from around here, where _are_ you from?"

Well used to the routine of explaining their origins by now, Kaito launched into the story. Since there were always those little, ah, sensitive details to be left out, he embellished a little. It had become a bit of a game with himself to see what new details he could come up with. A little embellishment here, a change of detail there—and it was amazing how differently the same story could be told when you tried (although he'd learned to be careful just how wild his embellishments got since Shinichi winced every time he heard him tell an outright lie. Not helpful for the aspiring storyteller).

"I see, I see," the shopkeeper said, nodding away like he'd heard it all before. "This is all very interesting. So what are your plans now? I may be able to find room for you here for the time being if you'd like."

"Thank you for the offer," Shinichi replied, surprised but grateful. "But we don't want to intrude."

"Though we would like directions to a decent but preferably not overpriced hotel, if you know any. We'll most likely be hanging around for a few days until Aome can find our translocater."

The man nodded in understanding. "By the way, can I see this bird of yours?"

The travelers traded looks. Not seeing any harm in it, Kaito held up his hand. In a puff of smoke, Aome appeared. Urahara leaned forward to peer at the small, white bird and she peered just as intently back.

"Fascinating," he murmured. "This energy pattern… I've never seen anything quite like it." He sat back on his heels, still beaming. "Well, I do hope you enjoy your time here. Feel free to drop by if you have anymore questions. In the meantime, I'll have Tessai get you a map. There are several hotels around town you can consider."

Urahara Kisuke watched the two teenagers go with a half smile still lingering on his face. These were certainly interesting developments. He'd never been an easy man to surprise, but he would admit this time to being intrigued—not by the fact that there were worlds beyond his own (that kind of knowledge was really rather basic for a scientist of his caliber), but by the tool they had mentioned and the thought of what kind of mind might have created it. What had its purpose been? Was there a greater purpose for the places it chose to carry its charges to or was it simply a matter of chance? Then there were the interesting assortment of energies he could sense around the two. He made a mental note to keep an eye on them.

"That man has one hell of a Poker Face," Kaito remarked once the shop had disappeared behind them.

Shinichi nodded, absently reaching up to pet Aome. "I noticed."

X

"Are they still here?"

Looking up from his tea, Urahara smiled at his latest visitor. "I thought you might be coming by. You just missed them."

The orange-haired teen wandered over to drop onto one of the cushions by the table. "So are they really from another world?"

"It would seem so," the shopkeeper replied, amiable as ever. "They had quite the interesting story to tell."

Curious, Ichigo listened as the man recounted some of the things he'd been told. It wasn't perhaps the strangest story Ichigo had ever heard, but it certainly wasn't an everyday one either. He tried to imagine what it would be like to suddenly be thrown into a completely foreign land with no way to go home or even make sure his family was well. He'd probably be going crazy on the inside at the thought of leaving his sisters with only their nutty father to look after them for who knew how long. It had to be hard.

"And you just sent them to a hotel?" he asked. "You could've just let them stay here. It's not like you don't have the room."

The shopkeeper looked hurt. "I did offer. But they said they'd prefer the hotel." He paused to take another sip of tea. "It's not hard to see why though, is it?"

Ichigo supposed it wasn't. There were times in everyone's life when you just felt like you had to do it yourself, not because you had anything to prove but just to know that you had the power to.

"Well," he said to Urahara before he left to make his own way home. "If you see them again, tell them not to be strangers."

X

Karakura wasn't a big city, though it wasn't a small town either. They had had their choice of rooms upon checking in at the hotel.

The room they ended up in was moderately sized with two beds separated by a nightstand. Across from it stood a dresser and a TV. A small, round table had been tucked into the corner along with a pair of padded chairs. It looked very much like most of the hotel rooms Shinichi had seen on the few occasions he'd gone traveling with his parents. They had gone ahead and booked a five-night stay as the hotel was having a promotion for it.

Now Shinichi was seated on the room's rather deep window sill, listening to the sound of running water coming from the bathroom. He'd just gotten back from filling the pitcher with ice and hadn't bothered turning on any of the lights other than the one by the door. Because of this, he had an unhindered view of the glitter of the street outside. Headlights and streetlamps glowed beneath rows of lit windows. Their room was on the fifth floor, and he could see quite a distance along the street in both directions. Beneath the haze of city lights, he could just pick out the shadows of people strolling about their business—heading home or out for dinner, possibly meeting up with friends…

Speaking of friends, they had been gone for more than half a year now. Their friends had to be worried by now. Even Shinichi had never run off for quite so long without a word to anyone. Although he supposed most of his acquaintances wouldn't know that. Of the few who did, Hattori would probably go to investigate the scene of KID's last heist eventually since he'd known Shinichi had been planning on going, and Ran would probably have told him she'd seen him there. He might even have heard the legend about the stone being an otherworldly relic, but he would have dismissed it as superstitious nonsense. Haibara, being Haibara, would probably start to think that they had missed some Organization members in the cleanup who'd gone after him or something of the sort. The thought bothered him. She had just started to really live her life. He didn't want to be the reason she picked up that old fear again.

Agasa would have told his parents. He wasn't entirely sure how they would take the news. He'd never been much good at guessing what his parents were thinking. They had a tendency to do things he didn't understand that left him wondering how they could possibly be related to him. Even so, he supposed even they would start to worry at least a little by this point.

There was always the possibility that time passed differently between worlds though. The dates certainly didn't match up between trips. Whether it would be better or worse one way or the other in the long run was a question he'd found himself unable to answer. Not that there was much point in dwelling on the matter, or so Kaito kept telling him. And Shinichi had to agree. It was just hard not to think about it as the tally of days in his notebook grew steadily larger and larger.

It was getting progressively easier though to let go of the pressure of not knowing and just focus on the present. In some ways, he felt he owed a lot of that peace of mind to Kaito.

The magician always seemed to know just what to say or do to make him feel like everything was going to work out in the end. If it hadn't been for his presence, Shinichi suspected he would feel a great deal more stressed about their situation.

Kaito…

He had spent some time reexamining the time he'd spent with Kaito and reevaluating the feelings that time had engendered in him. Some of it, he had noticed a while ago, but he'd never really paid attention to it other than the occasional moment of wonder. That he could come to trust a thief so implicitly…

Life really was funny that way. It was enough to make even a detective wonder if there really was such a thing as fate.

Here he was, a detective, best friends (possibly more?) with one of the most famous thieves his world had ever seen. A thief whose father had been his mother's teacher (he wondered at times if he and Kaito had ever met when they were kids. He'd have to ask his mother if—when—he saw her next. On second thought, maybe he wouldn't. Asking would mean first explaining how he knew Kaito. While he suspected the matter would have to come up eventually, he wasn't planning on thinking about it until it did. He generally preferred to put off contemplating dealing with his parents for as long as possible. It was a survival tactic really—or at least one that saved him a great number of headaches).

If someone had told him before this whole business with the gem that he would one day be (knowingly) sharing a hotel room with Kaitou KID, he would have said it was ridiculous (well, unless it had to do with taking down a bloodthirsty criminal, but that didn't count). Now it felt natural. And not just in the 'we've been doing this for a long time' way but because, even if he had the choice, he couldn't think of anyone he'd rather be here with.

He was happy. A sense of surprise flickered through him before it settled into something warm and soft and fuzzy.

Stepping out of the bathroom, Kaito turned to tell Shinichi it was his turn but stopped as his eyes landed on the boy in question. The detective was sitting by the window, face turned towards the dark, velvet sky. The touch of the moon traced his profile with lines of silver that threaded through the dark strands of his hair. The portion of his face that Kaito could see was still and peaceful in that way the magician had come to cherish. It was that small but genuine smile that made Kaito feel at peace just to see it.

The corners of his own lips turned up at the sight. Moving on silent feet, he padded up behind the detective and sat down on the sill behind him, looping his arms loosely around the other's waist. When Shinichi didn't react, he thought that perhaps the detective was too far lost in his thoughts. It wouldn't be the first time. But then Shinichi shifted and leaned back against him, turning his head slightly to look around and up at the thief. Their eyes met for an instant, and Kaito thought he detected a dusting of pink across the detective's face. He thought the color went rather nicely with that smile, and he found himself unconsciously leaning closer. But Shinichi had already turned away.

Kaito blinked then drew back, a rueful smile ghosting across his face. Ah well. Maybe next time.

They didn't say anything. Neither wanted to shatter the tranquility of the moment with something as harsh and concrete as a word. Instead, they turned their eyes back to the night sky outside and watched the moon emerge from behind a passing cloud in companionable silence.

X

Kaito woke at ten to six the following morning feeling refreshed and ready to get the ball rolling. His mind was already drawing up a list of the things they would need as he ran through his customary, morning exercises (which now included a routine for spirit energy control. He had a feeling he was going to need it). They didn't have to worry too much about money yet, but those kinds of things needed to be dealt with before they actually grew into problems. That meant finding jobs again. Depending on how long they ended up staying, they would eventually have to look for other lodgings as well. Unless they were lucky and the hotel's promotion was still available when their five days were up anyway. Finishing off his mental checklist, he pulled on his jacket and glanced over at Shinichi's bed. As he'd predicted, the detective was still fast asleep, blankets pulled all the way up. He'd curled up on his side at some point in defense against the sunlight seeping in through the thinner of the dual-layered curtains that Kaito had left shut. Smiling to himself, the thief made a mental note to pick up a cup of coffee on his way back. At least he didn't have to worry about Shinichi running into trouble while he was out, he thought, snickering silently. Left to his own devices, he was sure his detective could quite happily sleep straight through to lunchtime.

Pocketing a room key and coaxing a still sleepy Aome from her spot with the other doves, he headed down to the lobby. It wasn't quite seven yet, and there really wasn't much in the way of life to be seen around the premises. He only saw a handful of people in the halls, though he could hear a certain amount of bustle when he passed the dining area. A lone young woman sat behind the front counter in the lobby, surreptitiously covering a yawn.

She straightened in her seat when she saw him coming her way and smiled. "Good morning. How may I help you?"

"Good morning," the magician replied, offering her a sunny smile of his own. "I'm looking for work, actually. I don't suppose you know anyone who's hiring? Or somewhere I might go around here for such information?"

"Work?" The girl blinked. "Oh, are you moving here then?"

It was Kaito's turn to pause. Moving here? Well, he supposed it was a reasonable conclusion to come to when someone living in a hotel asked about jobs rather than sightseeing hotspots. The question, however, had evoked other thoughts he hadn't previously considered. He turned them over a few times then filed them away for future contemplation. "I suppose it depends on how the situation looks in a few days."

"I see." The girl's expression was sympathetic. "I can't say I know all that many places, but the restaurant next door is always looking for new waiters. I have to warn you though, the reason they're always looking is because the manager's a bit of a tyrant. A friend of mine worked there for a few weeks then quit because the woman was just too hard to please. I hear most of their waiting staff doesn't stay past a month. I actually almost never see the same server twice when I'm passing by."

The magician whistled. "That's a hell of a record."

"Yeah, they're practically famous for it. But they pay very well so people keep trying."

"Sounds like quite the challenge."

"It is."

"Then it's lucky for us that I like challenges."

The girl laughed. "That's the spirit. Good luck then."

"Thank you."

X

Students gathered around the score boards. The marks from their math test of the previous day had been posted for everyone to see. As usual, Ishida Uryuu held the honor of having the highest score. Today, however, his name had been joined by another, the two of them tied with full marks.

"Kudo Shinichi," the hyperactive Keigo read out loud. "Who the hell is that?"

"I think that was the name of that new student," the teen standing beside him responded. "You know, the one that showed up yesterday morning."

"Oh yeah. So where is he anyway?"

"Haven't you heard? No one's seen him since lunch yesterday."

X

"Another world?" Inoue Orihime gasped, both amazed and delighted by the prospect. She and her friends were currently taking their lunch break on the school roof. Ichigo and Rukia had just finished telling them about the two strange young men they had met the other day—one of whom was the new student who'd never come back. "That's amazing. I'm sure they've seen all sorts of things—like aliens or superheroes!"

"If they're from another world, how do you know they're not aliens themselves?" the bespectacled teen seated beside her asked, pushing his glasses up his nose.

Orihime's eyes widened. "You're right. So that means they might actually _be_ aliens themselves." She turned expectantly to Ichigo.

"You'll have to ask them yourself about that," the lanky substitute shinigami replied, shrugging. "But they said they were human."

"It is strange though," said Rukia. "First a hollow we can't find, now people from another world? It makes me wonder if there's a connection."

"No, I don't think we have to worry about that," Ichigo said firmly. His certainty earned him a few raised eyebrows, but he didn't elaborate. It was just a feeling he had, after all. He'd always had a good instinct for people though.

"Well, I think we should try to make them feel welcome," Orihime declared. "Even if they're not aliens, they're still a long way from home. Oh, I know, we should invite them to eat with us—maybe have a barbeque." She nodded to herself. "So, Ichigo, do you know where they're staying?"

"Some hotel Tessai found for them."

"Okay. So once we have everything planned, we can send them invitations."

Later, when they had all returned to class, she found herself looking out the window at the autumn sky. She really was excited to meet these people from another world. More than that though, she was glad to know that there were two of them. It was good to know that they weren't alone.

Just one person could make all the difference when you were feeling lonely. Unconsciously, her hand rose to touch the pins in her hair: the gift her brother had given her shortly before he'd passed away. Yes, just one person could change everything.

X

Shinichi woke to the tantalizing aroma of strong, fresh coffee. Unable to resist its call, he blinked open bleary eyes. His brows furrowed as his sleep-befuddled brain took a moment to process what he was seeing. There was a large to-go cup sitting almost right in front of his nose (it was clearly the source of that wonderful smell). Further inspection revealed that said cup was sitting on the edge of a chair that had been placed right up against the side of his bed in order to position the cup as close to his face as possible without actually putting it on the bed itself. He stared, the peculiarity of the sight making him wonder if he was dreaming.

He contemplated the cup for a few more moments before deciding that A, he was fairly certain he was awake and B, there was no point wasting a perfectly good cup of coffee by letting it get cold. So he sat up and picked up the cup.

Having observed the whole thing from where he'd been feeding his doves, Kaito smirked. Operation "Lure Shinichi out of Dreamland with Coffee" had worked like a charm.

"How long have you been up?" the detective managed to ask around a yawn.

"Just a few hours. It's a bit cold now, but I bought you a breakfast sandwich too."

Shinichi spent a few more moments just communing with his coffee before reluctantly scooting off the bed and shuffling to the table, tugging the now empty chair with him. He wasn't all that hungry, but there was no point wasting good food. Covering another yawn, he unwrapped the sandwich and took another long gulp of his coffee. Wherever Kaito had bought it, it was very good coffee. He smiled faintly, feeling unusually content for a morning. He should really thank Kaito later when he was more awake.

He had nibbled his way through half the sandwich before his thoughts cleared enough to register what kind of sandwich it was. By then, Kaito had sent his doves off to explore as they wished. The magician was now watching him eat with his own cup of (very creamy) coffee. Shinichi couldn't help but notice the way his free hand kept going up to his ear every now and then as though to adjust something. An earpiece?

He frowned in confusion. "What are you listening to?"

"I will be applying for a position on the waiting staff for the restaurant next door," Kaito said by way of explanation. "One of the receptionists told me they're always hiring because management's demanding and not many people can stand it for long. However, for those who can, I hear tell the rewards are more than fair. So I took the liberty of scouting out the premises earlier."

"And planted bugs?"

The thief smirked. "For study purposes, of course. It's amazing the kinds of things you can learn about people just from a handful of conversations."

Shinichi sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "You're invading their privacy." He knew it was useless, but he still felt obliged to point it out.

Kaito actually laughed. "Don't worry, I'll only use the information I need. But really, that receptionist wasn't kidding when she said the manager was a tyrant. I've only been listening for twenty minutes, and she's already chewing out victim number seven. And all the poor girl did was overlook the fact that the saltshaker on the corner table just ran out of salt. Then there was this guy earlier that she totally tore apart for accidentally putting the wrong pattern of spoon with an order of soup."

"And you want to work in this place?" Shinichi asked, mystified. It sounded to him like news that should send potential employees scurrying the other way. "Does this manager lady wear diamond earrings or something?"

"Nope. Although she does have quite the exquisite string of pearls—just kidding. They were only well-made fakes anyway." His grin morphed abruptly into a grimace as his hand flew up to yank the earpiece from his ear. "Yikes! She could give old man Nakamori a run for his money with those lungs. Not to mention that temper!"

"I'm sure there are other restaurants nearby that might be hiring. I mean, this place you're eavesdropping on hardly seems worth the trouble even if the pay is better."

"Ah, but it's about the challenge, not the money—although you can't deny we need the money too. They also happen to have a trial period during which our lack of proper paperwork won't stir up as much of a fuss. By the time it does matter, I'll have them begging me to stay."

Shinichi realized with a certain amount of bemused wonder that Kaito was actually looking forward to this venture. Then again, all this reconnaissance he was doing suggested he was approaching the matter like one of his heists. Well, as long as Kaito was having fun, Shinichi supposed there wasn't any point in his worrying (a Kaito who was having fun was a lot safer to live with than a Kaito who was bored as long as whatever he was having fun plotting wasn't directed at you). Although he was still having a hard time understanding what about this whole thing could possibly sound fun to anyone.

"Do you need any help?"

Kaito waved him off with that all too familiar shark's smirk stretched across his face. "Nah, I've got this one covered. Besides, you have your own work to do."

"…I do?" This was news to Shinichi.

Kaito snapped his fingers and a stack of pamphlets appeared in a puff of smoke beside Shinichi's coffee cup. "These are some of the areas around Karakura that offer more affordable housing—a lot of them are aimed at students and the like. As I doubt we'll be able to stay here for long after the promotion ends, we will need a backup plan. Of course, if Aome finds the stone before our time here is up, it won't matter, but it's best to be prepared."

"I assume I'm supposed to go look these places over then?"

"That's right. Take Kishiro with you though. I don't like the idea of you running around by yourself with monsters popping up everywhere."

"You make it sound like the streets around here are being overrun."

"For all we know, they sometimes are." Draining the last of the coffee in his own cup, Kaito stood up and stretched. "I'm going to head over for a little more scouting now before I awe them with my presence. The spare key's on the nightstand."

"Have fun then."

X

It was a nice town, Shinichi decided. There was plenty of vegetation and the atmosphere was relaxed despite the warm buzz of activity. A river glittered between sloping banks covered in lush carpets of grass. The outskirts of the settlement were heavily forested and looked like they probably offered at least a few good hiking trails. The two neighborhoods he'd visited so far had also seemed peaceful and the people he'd talked to friendly.

It seemed they had caught this world in the midst of autumn. The day was on the windy side, and Shinichi could see colorful leaves dancing past him on the wind as he made his way through the streets. Red, orange, yellow, and brown leaves of varying shapes and sizes skittered and spun over the pavement. There were even several white leaves in the mix. One of them caught on Shinichi's sleeve and he noted with interest that it was so thin he could almost see through it. It was also rather brittle and cracked in two at his touch. He'd never seen anything quite like it.

He was passing by what appeared to be a park when he caught a glimpse out of the corner of his eye of a familiar school uniform. Turning automatically for a better look, he spotted a young man standing beneath the spreading boughs of a knobby tree with pale, almost white leaves. They were the same kind of leaves he'd been marveling at before, he noted absently. The teen himself was wearing glasses, and from where Shinichi was standing the glare of the sunlight on the lenses meant he couldn't see the stranger's eyes. Even so, he could tell that the young man was frowning.

Something about the image struck Shinichi as off, but before he could pinpoint what it was, the stranger turned abruptly towards him. Shinichi saw him do an almost imperceptible double take before stepping forward.

"Excuse me, but where did you get that dog?"

Shinichi blinked in momentary confusion then looked down at Kishiro. He'd almost forgotten the Spirit Beast was currently a medium-sized canine. Having shape shifting companions could get a little confusing. "Oh him? He's not actually mine. I'm just looking after him for a friend."

"I see. Would you mind if I take a closer look at him?"

The detective raised an eyebrow at the unexpected request but nodded. He didn't see any harm in it. "As long as he doesn't mind."

The bespectacled teen moved to crouch down in front of Kishiro, who cocked his head to one side and sniffed at him. Both dog and man studied each other for several moments before the stranger shook his head and rose. Shinichi thought he heard the stranger mutter to himself, "No, that's not it."

He nodded politely to Shinichi. "Thank you. Sorry about taking up your time."

"It was no problem. I'm not in a hurry." He hesitated only a moment before asking, "Is there something wrong? I couldn't help but notice that you seem a bit troubled."

"What? Oh, no, it's nothing," the stranger assured him before wishing him a good day and heading down the street. Shinichi watched him go then glanced down into Kishiro's furry face.

"He was definitely looking for something," he mused. "I wonder why he seemed to think you might be related."

The Spirit Beast tilted his head to one side in a gesture that somehow managed to feel like a shrug without involving any shoulders. Shinichi laughed and patted it between the ears.

"Come on, we'd better be on our way too."

X

Ishida Uryuu frowned as he left the park behind. All around him, the strange spiritual pressure that had been pervading Karakura for days continued to nag at his well-honed senses. But why couldn't he pinpoint where it was coming from?

It had been strong there in the park, and for a moment he'd thought he'd found it in the stranger's dog. But while that dog had indeed had some unusual powers of its own, it had not been those of a hollow. He had also sensed a strong presence at the school, by the river, at several locations throughout the shopping districts, and more. And they had all been the same—or at least that was how it felt to him, and he was fully confident in his skill at reading such things. Yet, at every point, he'd found nothing. Surely the same hollow couldn't be at all those locations at once, so it had to be a camouflage tactic. Or was it possible that the creature could create clones? It was possible.

Still, that didn't change the fact that he had been unable to find any traces of the beast at all beyond the feeling of its presence. If it had been the lingering presence of residual power left behind by something passing through, he might have understood it, but it felt at every location as though the hollow should be standing right beside him. Except, of course, that it never was.

The line between his brows deepened as he pushed his glasses further up his nose. "Where are you hiding?"

Or perhaps…perhaps that was the wrong question.

X

Shinichi was unpacking the takeout he'd brought back for their dinner on the hotel room's small table when he nearly jumped out of his skin at a voice whispering "Boo" right into his ear. He managed not to yelp, but his sudden start didn't agree with the carton of soup he'd been in the process of opening.

"Whoa!" A pair of hands shot around him from behind to catch the carton before it could spill hot soup all over the table and Shinichi alike. The plastic lid bounced on said table and rolled over the edge. "You really should be more careful there, Tantei-kun."

"_You_'re the one who snuck up on _me_," Shinichi spluttered in indignation, turning his head to glare at the culprit as he fought to calm his racing heart. With Kaito standing so close behind him, he had to look up, which somewhat detracted from the strength of the glare, but he managed. "If you have to scare people, you can at least try not to do it when they have their hands full of scalding liquid."

Kaito only laughed, completely unrepentant. "Sorry, I guess it was a little careless of me. This stuff smells good by the way. Where's it from?"

"There's a Chinese restaurant down the street that I've been told specializes in preparing full meals for groups of various sizes. Normally, they deliver, but since this was their smallest package and I had time, I told them I'd just wait and bring it myself. I tried to choose food that won't taste terrible cold, so if we don't finish we can also eat it for breakfast tomorrow." Shinichi took the soup carton from him and set it down with care. Then he nudged the thief's arm aside so he could finish setting out the utensils. "How did it go at the restaurant?"

"I start tomorrow, of course. Don't tell me you doubted my abilities!"

Heaven forbid that ever happen, Shinichi thought wryly. "I just thought I should ask."

"In that case, it went wonderfully. What about you? See any monsters in the neighborhood?" His tone was jovial, but Shinichi didn't miss the sudden, sharp focus in his eyes.

"No, I didn't. My day was actually very peaceful."

"That's good." Taking a seat, Kaito picked up one of the pairs of disposable chopsticks and snapped it apart. "Any luck with the search?"

"Unfortunately, it's a no to that too so far." Sighing, Shinichi took the other pair of chopsticks. "The neighborhoods were nice, but the few apartments that aren't currently occupied already have people scheduled to move in shortly."

"We'll just have to keep looking then."

"I did meet this high school student who was strangely surprised to see Kishiro though." Picking up a cube of tofu, Shinichi's thoughts drifted back to that peculiar meeting. It was still nagging at him—that sense that something had been off… "It was the light," he said out loud as it finally clicked.

Kaito paused with his chopsticks halfway to his mouth. "The light?"

"It's what's been bothering me. The sunlight reflected off his glasses, but it shouldn't have. It was too shady where he was standing."

"Leaves and branches aren't exactly compact though. It's still possible for light to make its way through."

"I know, but it wasn't just his glasses. There was a large patch of sunlight on his shoulder too that shouldn't have been there. It was almost like—like only some of the shadows in the area could touch him while some of them couldn't."

"…Okay. That's all very interesting, but I'm not sure why you're so bothered by it. We already know there's a lot of supernatural activity going on in this world. Maybe this guy you saw was a ghost."

"I don't know… He didn't seem like a ghost to me."

Kaito chuckled. "No offense Tantei-kun, but you're hardly an expert."

"I suppose you're right…" Shinichi stared pensively at his rice for several seconds longer then shook his head. "It's just—something about it just doesn't feel right."

Kaito watched as the detective fell back into a preoccupied silence. He knew from experience that Shinichi's hunches tended to be worth listening to, but as far as he could tell the kinds of problems this world was likely to have were unlikely to be the kind you could deal with just by putting together the pieces. While their arsenal had grown, he was smart enough to know that they were far from experienced enough to go leaping into other people's supernatural problems without guidance. Besides, from what they'd learned, the natives had things covered. Hopefully, whatever was bothering his detective was normal for these parts and would be dealt with shortly.

In the meantime, unless it made itself known as a problem, he was quite content to occupy himself with more substantial matters. He just had to figure out the best way to get Shinichi to cooperate.

X

Shinichi had only just gotten back to Kaito and his hotel room after a morning stroll to the nearest convenience store with a bagful of supplies and a stack of newspapers in hand when a knock came at the door. Confused, he set the stuff down on the table and went to answer it. They didn't know anyone who would come looking for them. Had they done anything that might make the hotel staff want to speak to them? Maybe someone had noticed that they were keeping animals in their room. Now that he thought about it, he'd gotten so used to having them around that he'd forgotten to ask if the hotel allowed pets.

Bracing himself for a confrontation, he was caught off guard when the first thing that greeted him upon the opening of the door was a rose. Blue eyes blinked at the flower before traveling to the hand holding it and up the attached arm to meet a familiar pair of indigo orbs.

"Are you ready?" Kaito asked before Shinichi could speak.

The detective blinked again. "Huh? Ready for what?"

"Well, I was thinking of starting with a late lunch, as I'm fairly certain you haven't had any yet," the thief explained, grabbing one of Shinichi's hands and pressing the rose into it with a grin. "Then we can head over to the botanical garden and see those alien seedlings! Or whatever approximation thereof anyway."

"…Aren't you supposed to be at work though?"

"I took that extra shift yesterday so I'd have this afternoon off."

The detective's brows furrowed slightly. Yesterday, Kaito had said he had to take an extra shift because there had been several large parties scheduled at the restaurant and they needed all available hands on deck. He hadn't said anything about getting a break for it or going anywhere. They only had one more day left before they had to find new lodgings. It really didn't seem like the right time for relaxing strolls through botanical gardens. But even as the thoughts ran through his head, he was already being herded outside. His jacket had mysteriously made its way back onto his shoulders without his knowledge and the rose he'd been given earlier now peeped out of his breast pocket. Kishiro, who had hopped off the bed and padded towards them, was given an admonishing look and waving finger by Kaito.

"You're not coming this time," he told the Spirit Beast. "This is a date, so no tagalongs. If Aome comes back, let her know we'll be back after dinnertime."

Disappointed, the cat fluffed out its fur then turned and hopped back onto the bed. Kaito made a quick check to make sure his birds had water before sweeping Shinichi out the door. The detective had frozen and turned pink at the word 'date' and didn't seem to know what he should be doing. But Kaito was happy to take advantage of the situation to get his own plans rolling.

X

"I've sent in a request to Research and Development for an in-depth analysis of the sites Uryuu pinpointed."

"Yeah? And what did they say?"

"I haven't received a reply yet."

"That's no help."

"We just have to be patient."

"Maybe there isn't anything there at all," the substitute shinigami suggested. "I mean, we've been searching for this thing for ages and found nothing." And when he said nothing, he meant _nothing_. Not even a single scared soul or a cracked stretch of pavement.

Rukia shot him a look. "And I suppose you're going to say we're imagining it all. No, this is real. We just—need to understand."

"Maybe it's invisible," a new voice piped up as a young woman with long, sunset-colored hair fell in to walk beside them. "Then we could walk right by it and never even know!"

"Know about what, Orihime?"

The conversation stuttered as one of their less spiritually aware classmates butted in. The topic was shelved with haste and excuses quickly fabricated. Ahead of them, the tallest of the teachers accompanying their group waved for everyone to begin crossing the street.

The teaching staff at Karakura High had decided that, with the new exhibits available in their town's very own botanical garden, it was time the students went on a field trip. It was after all, they said, the chance of a lifetime. New discoveries didn't grow on trees, even if this particular new discovery was one, and who wouldn't want to get a glimpse of history in the making? Of course, they couldn't flood the place with the whole school population at once. It just wasn't practical. So instead the students were split by year and further divided into more manageable groups that would be escorted to the gardens by a teacher come their assigned field trip slot. The rest of their classes for the day would be spent in free study or—for the less fortunate—makeup tests for missed or unsatisfactory work.

This idea was why Ichigo and his friends were now traipsing through the city streets. The botanical garden they were headed for was only a ten minute walk from campus, so the school had deemed a bus unnecessary. Keigo had complained that the school was just being stingy, but personally Ichigo didn't mind. The weather was just this side of chilly but not yet to the point where it was uncomfortable.

A walk might also help him clear his head. All this tension about the hidden or invisible or imaginary or whatever it was hollow had been getting on his nerves. It was like having an enemy breathing down your neck but not being able to move even to turn and see its face. It was making him restless, which didn't help his mood.

It just seemed ridiculous that they were going to see some trees while whoever or whatever was out there went about its business.

He hadn't been seeing as many ghosts around town lately.

"We're here!" someone at the front of the procession cried out. Ahead of them, the glittering, glass roof of the greenhouse gleamed under the afternoon sun. The doors were pushed open and the students filed in.

Sensing things had never been one of Ichigo's fortes, but even he knew the moment his foot crossed the threshold that something was wrong. Beside him, Rukia drew in a sharp breath, her eyes immediately going to scan the leafy green vegetation overflowing on all sides.

"What…is that?" Orihime asked in a hushed whisper, her own eyes wide.

Rukia checked to make sure no one who shouldn't be was close enough to hear them before answering. "I've felt this hollow's spiritual pressure before. It's the same one that's been eluding us these last two weeks."

"Does that mean this is where it's been hiding?" The taller girl's worried gaze flickered to their oblivious classmates. If they were attacked here… It was almost impossible for their classmates not to get caught in the crossfire.

"It could be. Or it could just be like the other locations where we've sensed it but found nothing."

"No. This is different."

All three teens turned at the new voice to find their school's top student and resident Quincy had come up behind them.

"Its presence is much stronger here than it has been at any of the other locations," he continued. "I would recommend that we all keep our eyes open."

Before anyone else could speak, a man dressed in the clothes of one of the facility's tour guides raised an orange flag and called for the students to gather round.

"Many of the trails are on the narrow and twisty side," he was saying, voice ringing out clear over the heads of the milling students. "So make sure you stay close to the person in front of you. We don't want anyone getting lost. Also, some of the plants we have here are poisonous, so be careful. Don't touch anything unless someone wearing a badge like mine tells you it's okay to do so first. Now, is everyone ready? Then follow me! You guys are in luck. In addition to the brand new exhibit of which I'm sure you've all heard, we also have a new butterfly exhibit opening today. They're only going to be here for a few weeks, but some of them are species you can't normally see at all in Japan."

It was the most stressful walk through a botanical garden any of them had ever had—not that any of them frequented such places, but Ichigo had always had the vague idea that gardens were supposed to be quiet places set apart from the hustle and bustle of real life. This felt more like they were on some jungle expedition where there could be poisonous snakes dropping from the branches overhead at any moment.

The sprawling grounds of the botanical garden had been divided into individual chambers dedicated to different climates. They saw everything from orchids to cacti to deep, jungle ferns. There were colorful hydrangeas and verdant pools of water lilies drifting beneath makeshift bridges. And every step of the way that heavy, chilling presence accompanied them like an unwelcome guest.

Yet another set of doors opened and suddenly that feeling intensified tenfold. Uryuu and Rukia jerked like someone had just dumped buckets of ice water over their heads. If he wasn't already so tense, Ichigo would have stiffened. As it was, he only turned to sweep his gaze over the vegetation. Throughout their class, others too shivered. The tall, silent figure of one Sado Yasutora—better known as Chad—drifted through the crowd to join the group around Ichigo. The rest of their more spiritually aware classmates, however, had no idea what they were sensing. All they knew was that they didn't like this section of the garden.

Oblivious to the sudden unease rippling through several members of his audience, the tour guide came to a stop and swept his arms out wide. "And this is our newest exhibit. These trees were discovered only recently. In fact, they haven't even been named yet! Or not officially anyway. We've been calling it the Panda Grove around here. I'm sure you can see why."

Ichigo tuned out the rest of the guide's chatter. "It's here."

None of the people around him had to ask him what he meant. The problem was, no matter which way they looked, all they could see was foliage. They needed to search the place more closely if they were going to find the source—unless, of course, it chose to show itself and attack them then and there. Barring such an event, however, they needed to slip their classmates.

They all breathed sighs of relief when the guide announced that they would be moving on and a hollow had yet to leap from the bushes. As the rest of the class continued on to the next chamber, Ichigo and company hung back. Lagging farther and farther behind, they waited until their classmates were almost entirely out of sight before turning as one and heading back to the courtyard that housed the new tree species. It was time to go hunting.

X

There had been a murder. It had happened in a bookstore they had stopped by on their way from the restaurant Kaito had chosen for their lunch to the botanical garden. It hadn't been a hard case, but it still threw a wrench into the atmosphere.

"Are you all right?" Shinichi asked hesitantly as he and Kaito were finally allowed to leave the scene of the crime. It was a shame, the detective reflected with a silent sigh. It had been such a large, well-stocked bookstore. But he doubted he'd want to shop at it again. Not for a long time anyway, and by then they would probably have moved on.

The magician cocked an eyebrow at him. "Of course. Why do you ask?"

Shinichi didn't answer right away. In his mind's eye, he saw once more the fleeing culprit being yanked off his feet by a tripwire he didn't know when Kaito had set. The guy had been pulled up to the bookstore ceiling where he spent the next several minutes being spun around and around like a demented ceiling fan until the police could get him down. By the time they did so, the man's face had turned green, and the first thing he'd done once let down was to throw up and flop face down onto the floor.

"I just…had the feeling that you might be a bit upset," he said finally.

Kaito folded his arms behind his head, indigo eyes flickering up to the periwinkle sky overhead. He considered brushing aside the question with a joke, but in the end he decided against it. "I suppose I may have been a little miffed. I don't generally appreciate having my plans interrupted—especially not by killers." And frankly the man's sob story had been annoying. "But what about you? This is the first case you've run into for a while."

Shinichi let out a halfhearted laugh. "To be honest, it was a bit of a shock." A sigh escaped his lips. In truth, he had been very much enjoying the respite. It had been…uplifting, he supposed was the best word for it. Back home, he saw murder so often that there were times when he'd found himself wondering if that really was human nature. It was a depressing thought. He really had needed this break, even if he hadn't realized it. Deep down, however, he knew he would return to his work eventually (it was his duty, his life, his passion and his burden). He just didn't want to go back to it right _now_. "But I guess maybe some things just aren't meant to be."

"Pardon? I think I missed something there."

"What? Oh, uh, I was just thinking. It's nothing important."

Kaito's eyebrows rose to meet his hairline. He hadn't missed the melancholy expression that had drifted across his companion's face. Then again, he suspected he knew at least some of what had been going through his detective's head. He'd often wondered himself at Tantei-kun's knack for being there whenever trouble was brewing. It had to get tiring at times. Of course, someone had to be there to make sure the murderers didn't get away with their crimes. Kaito himself knew all too keenly the pain an unresolved case could cause. Perhaps Shinichi's bizarre affinity for homicide cases was fate's way of attempting to cure some of that pain.

Considering travel to other universes was possible, such a concept wasn't difficult to believe at all. Not necessarily fair, but when weighed beside the consequences… He shook his head. What was he thinking? He'd never been one to believe in preordained futures. Your future was something you made. And he wasn't going to let himself or Shinichi waste the rest of their afternoon brooding!

"You know, I heard the coffee shop by the garden is famous for its special house blend. Did you want to grab a cup before we go inside?"

Shinichi perked up immediately at the mention of coffee. Coffee sounded like just what he needed right now. "Okay."

X

"They sure went all out when they built this place," Kaito marveled.

Shinichi agreed. Not only had every chamber of the establishment been skillfully arranged so that there would be flowers blooming in every season and something interesting to see every turn a visitor took, but the paths had been designed to emulate architecture from various parts of the world to match the plants' native lands. They were currently standing on a small but elegant stone bridge that arched gracefully over a quietly bubbling stream. Said manmade stream meandered through the various rooms of the greenhouse. Here it fed a deep, green pool upon which white water lilies drifted in serene clusters. Accompanied by the gurgling of the water and the humid atmosphere, the place had an almost dreamlike quality.

And yet Shinichi found himself feeling uneasy. He found himself looking over his shoulder every now and then to stare at the deserted paths behind them and search the leafy underbrush. But for the life of him he couldn't figure out why.

"What's up? You've been rather jumpy since we came in."

Shinichi grimaced. It seemed Kaito had noticed. "I don't know. Maybe it's just leftover tension from the case. It just feels like—like there's someone breathing down my neck."

"Well," Kaito said after a moment's consideration. "I can assure you that there isn't. The air in here does seem a bit heavy though. The humidity perhaps?"

"That has to be it," the detective agreed, trying to convince himself.

They shared a thoughtful silence before Kaito cleared his throat. He leaned against the side of the bridge, letting his elbows rest on the smooth, stone banister. "The other morning, when I went to ask the receptionist about finding work, she asked if we were moving here."

"It's a logical conclusion," said Shinichi, looking up at the magician with curious eyes. Kaito being Kaito, there was a reason behind his rather random comment.

"Indeed it is. If I asked you what kind of future you would like, what would you say?"

"…What?"

The magician chuckled. "Not much, it seems. But seriously, we've seen quite a lot of different types of worlds and lifestyles, and I'm sure there's lots more where they came from. Surely you must have had favorites. So tell me, if you picked one, which kind of world do you think you'd like living in best?"

"What…are you saying? Why're you asking me this?"

"It simply occurred to me that it's something we should be thinking about." Turning to face Shinichi, Kaito caught the detective's startled gaze with his own. He had his usual smile on his face, but his indigo eyes were sharp and entirely focused. "This is, after all, our lives we're talking about. It's always good to plan ahead, yes?"

"But, I mean, you can't actually be suggesting we give up…"

Kaito waved away his dismay with a light laugh. "No, no, that's not what I mean at all. I still want us to get home, and I'm having fun with all this traveling. It doesn't, however, hurt to have a backup plan. Keep our eyes and minds open to the possibilities and all that."

Shinichi's breath caught in his throat as his hands clenched on the bridge banister. The sheer magnitude of what Kaito was suggesting was staggering. Yet at the same time he couldn't refute the practicality of the idea. But the thought made his stomach clench and his mouth go dry.

"Shinichi?"

Dragging himself out of the strange, numbing whirl of uncertainty and dread that had swamped him from what felt like nowhere, Shinichi hurriedly pulled himself back together and forced an uneasy smile onto his face. "I…" He stopped, swallowed, and cleared his throat. "I don't know what to say."

"That's all right. Like I said, it's a backup plan. I doubt we'll need to start really considering it for a long time yet."

"Oh…"

"Hey look, according to that sign, the famous discovery should be just up ahead."

Grateful for the change of topic, Shinichi let Kaito pull him away from the bridge and up the next winding path.

X

"Panda Grove, eh?" The magician laughed. With their black trunks and nearly white leaves, there was certainly a panda-esque quality to the grove. "Fitting name. I certainly haven't seen trees like these before. How about a picture?" He glanced at his companion only to find Shinichi frowning, hand raised to his chin. Odd. "Is there something wrong?"

Blue eyes blinked then looked up at him. "It's not wrong exactly. This just…doesn't make any sense."

Kaito cocked an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"These trees," the detective said slowly, gaze swiveling back to fix upon the dark, knobby trunks and pale, pale leaves. "I…I've seen them before."

"Really? I thought they were supposed to be a new discovery."

"But I've been seeing them all around the city since we got here." Taking a step closer to one dark trunk, Shinichi tilted his head back to stare at the spreading boughs with their translucent leaves. He reached out to touch the black bark but pulled back before his fingertips made contact with the rough surface. "I'm sure they're the same species."

"Hold on a moment. Where exactly did you say you've seen them?"

Shinichi turned to find Kaito watching him with an odd expression that made him shift his weight uncomfortably. "Well, there was the park, outside the apartment buildings I visited yesterday, by the convenience store—oh, there was one in front of the restaurant too."

"As in the restaurant we ate at earlier today?"

"That's right." He paused. The magician's expression had grown grave, and it was making him nervous. "Why?"

"Because, Tantei-kun, there were only two trees in front of that restaurant, and they were both Sakura trees. The owner had them planted because they named the place the Sakura House. The story was on their menu."

"What? But I…"

The sound of running feet drew their attention to the paths leading towards the other exhibits. A few moments later, five teenagers came bursting into the clearing. They both recognized Ichigo's lanky frame and bright orange hair in the lead. The small, black-haired girl who'd taken them to Urahara's was there as well. Of the remaining three, Shinichi was surprised to note that one was the bespectacled young man he'd met at the park.

The orange-haired teen skidded to a stop as his face contorted in confusion at the sight of the travelers. "What the—what are you two doing here?"

"Well, we _were_ here to see the sights," Kaito drawled. Sharp, indigo eyes swept over the Karakura High students, taking in the tension in their stances and the faster-than-normal breathing. "But I get the feeling that that's about to change."

"You two should leave," Rukia advised. "It's dangerous here."

"Oh no, you can't leave now," a new voice answered, making everyone jump. The hairs on the back of Shinichi's neck stood on end as a strange chill raced up his spine. The voice echoed all around them so that it was impossible to pinpoint where exactly it was coming from. With it came a sensation of great pressure. It felt like the atmosphere in the greenhouse chamber was growing thicker by the moment. "My what a feast I've found. But perhaps all at once is a little ambitious. Yes, I shall take my time. It's much more fun that way."

Even as it spoke, the light around them shifted. Shinichi's first thought was that the shadows beneath the trees were growing longer, but no. The blackness on the ground was much too thick and dark to be mere shadows. They looked much more like pools of spreading ink. They rippled over the ground, spreading rapidly from where the three strange trees sank their roots into the earth, tendrils meeting and entwining to form a web of pitch blackness beneath their feet. Other patches drained of color, bulging upward and smoothing over to form a hard, white carapace.

It was a face—a white, bony mask that took up the entire floor of the clearing.

Everyone there's first instinct was to leap up and away from that terrible, white face with its malicious grin, but by then it was already too late. A sickly green light flooded the world around them as a force like a silent explosion caught them up in its claws. Their ears filled with the sound of rushing wind and crackling leaves as the air was blasted right out of their lungs. Then everything vanished.

X

When Shinichi regained consciousness, it was to find himself lying on a bed of leaves, looking up into the underside of a leafy canopy. He stared at them for a moment, wondering blearily if he had just made another cross-world jump. But then the events of the day came rushing back and he realized with a shock that those leaves overhead were the same, off white leaves that belonged to the trees at the garden. The same trees that had been hiding that monster.

Only…this couldn't be the botanical garden anymore. For one, he could see a sky through the spaces between the branches. There was no greenhouse roof in the way. Admittedly, that sky felt oddly close, but it was still sky.

Levering himself into a sitting position, he looked around. He was in the middle of a small, forest clearing. All the trees were the same species, and the leaves crackling beneath him when he moved testified that they had been around for a long time.

"Kaito?" he called out. His voice sounded small in this stillness—dying away almost just as it left his lips. "Kaito! Kurosaki-san!"

There was no answer. No animals stirred in the branches. No wind rustled the leaves.

It was starting to give him the creeps.

Where was he? Had that creature somehow transported him back to…to…wherever it was the trees it had been hiding in had come from? Or had it spawned so many offshoots in the time he'd been unconscious that it had completely taken over the town? His breath left him in a huff. He really didn't have much to go on. For all he knew, this was a different planet altogether.

First thing first though. He needed to find out if there was anyone else around or if he was here alone.

X

Opening his eyes to an unfamiliar landscape had, over the past months, become something of a norm for one Kuroba Kaito. It had its inconveniences, but he'd always prided himself on the ability to adapt to differing situations. Therefore, he wasn't really all that put out when he found himself in a forest full of weird trees. What did confuse him was that he was almost certain there had been a monster trying to eat him and his companions. Not that he had any complaints about not being eaten. He just would have appreciated some clue as to what had happened and where Shinichi had disappeared to.

He'd climbed up a tree for a better look around. All he'd learned from that was that it was trees as far as the eye could see and there was no wind to speak of. In fact, the air around here was so still that his own breaths might as well have been wild gusts in comparison. That meant no glider. It was a bummer, but he'd make do.

And he'd spotted a human life form through the openings in the canopy.

Smirking at his good fortune, he swung back down through the branches. He dropped back to earth right beside the aforementioned human being.

"Hello there!" he said by way of greeting.

The person—a pretty young woman with her long hair held back by a small, flower-shaped pin—let out a yelp of surprise and jumped away from him. Large eyes swept over him before the girl visibly relaxed.

"You were at the garden earlier, right?" she asked.

He smiled and offered her a rose. "Indeed I was."

Her eyes lit up at the sleight of hand. "Oh, that was really cool. Are you a magician?"

He laughed. "The best, if I do say so myself. Am I right in assuming that you are one of Kurosaki-san's friends?"

She introduced herself to him as Inoue Orihime. She had, she explained, been searching for their wayward friends, but he was the first person she'd found. Although she assured him that the others were there—somewhere.

"I can feel it," she said with absolute conviction.

"Well, who am I to argue with a woman's intuition?" It was all they had to go on at this point.

Deciding they could talk and search at the same time, they continued on their way. It was, Kaito reflected, not exactly the best search plan he'd ever participated in. They had no real way of telling either where they were, where they'd been, or even if they'd somehow gotten turned completely around. In fact, the only thing the plan had going for it was that it beat sitting on their hands. At least the company was good.

In the short time he had known her, Kaito had observed that Orihime was a cheerful and good-natured girl with an animated imagination and rather…odd tastes. She had offered him a chocolate covered rice ball from the snacks she'd packed to share with her classmates on their school outing which he had politely declined. He liked chocolate and all, but he drew the line at having it with rice. The idea was just…the opposite of appetizing, to put it politely. He couldn't help but eye the young woman who'd offered it to him with mixed fascination and bemusement. She was munching away at one of those aforementioned rice balls with every sign of enjoyment. It was almost enough to make him want to try one.

Almost.

"You don't seem to be particularly worried about our misplacement, Ojou-san."

The girl blinked then laughed. "It's not that I'm not worried exactly. But since we're both all right, I'm sure everyone else is too. We just have to find them."

Orihime was in the middle of telling him about a popular television show called Spirit Hunter when she cut herself off mid sentence and spun around. Her hand flew to her hairpin. At the same time, Kaito felt a prickling on the back of his neck. Orange light flashed then spiraled together to form a translucent shield just in time to catch an incoming claw halfway through its vicious, downward swipe. Said claw drew back and smashed into the shield again before its owner backed off and roared in thwarted fury.

Kaito would have liked to be surprised, but he wasn't. If anything, he was more surprised that it had taken this long for the creature to show its ugly face.

Indigo eyes hardened as the thief turned all of his attention to the matter at hand. The mask was their weak point, Urahara had told them. Destroy the mask and the hollow went with it.

Energy crackled and the air filled with the acrid scent of ozone.

X

Shinichi had no idea how long he'd been walking. The angle of the sunlight—if it even was sunlight—hadn't changed, but he was starting to think that that didn't mean much wherever this was. It felt like he hadn't gone anywhere at all even though he knew he'd been walking in a straight line for a while. Everywhere looked and felt the same.

He was just beginning to wonder if this was some bizarrely realistic dream when his ears caught the hint of distant voices. He immediately turned towards it and picked up his pace. As he drew closer, the voices resolved into coherent words.

"—is this place?"

"How the hell am I supposed to know?" a more familiar voice, Ichigo's, grumbled. "I already told you everything I know."

"Sheesh. You don't know very much."

The answer was an irritated growl.

Stepping between two dark trunks, Shinichi blinked. He was seeing double? On the right stood Ichigo as he'd appeared at the botanical garden. On the left—stood Ichigo, only this one dressed in the black garments he'd worn the other day when he'd been fighting hollows. Both turned to look at Shinichi when he arrived.

"Oh hey, you're here too?" the one on the left asked.

"You know this guy?" the one on the right asked.

"This is Shinichi. He's one of the visitors."

"Visitors?" the one that Shinichi now knew couldn't be Ichigo repeated, confused. "What visitors?"

"Didn't I tell you about them?"

This got an instant scowl. "You never tell me anything!" the not-Ichigo exclaimed, pointing an accusatory finger at his double. "I deserve to know what's going on too!" From there, he launched into a rant about not being appreciated which sounded like the continuation of an old complaint. The sword-bearing Ichigo sighed and turned to Shinichi.

"Just ignore him," he said. "Do you have any idea where we are?"

"None," the detective replied, wondering how he was supposed to know if a native from this world didn't. "Do you happen to know where those trees were discovered? I didn't get the chance to read the plaque."

The shinigami's brows furrowed as he thought. "I wasn't really listening when the guide introduced it. I do remember something about mountains, but that's it."

"Is it possible for that creature to have transported us to whatever place in the mountains that was?"

"I don't know. Maybe." The look in his eyes, however, belied his words, not that Shinichi could blame him. They could all feel the strangeness in the air. The muted quality of the world… It just didn't feel like Earth.

"I know," the not-Ichigo said suddenly, drawing the other two's attention back to him. "Maybe we're actually somewhere in the Soul Society!"

Ichigo looked thoughtful for all of two seconds before the expression shifted abruptly to one of fierce alertness. "Heads up! Kon, watch Shinichi." The last of his words were yelled as he swung his sword off his back and leapt.

The ground shook with a bestial roar. Ichigo let out a battle cry of his own. Leaves crackled and crunched. Kon grabbed Shinichi by the arm and half dragged him away from the next explosion of leaves and black, monster limbs. Shinichi stumbled before he got his feet under himself and turned his head for a better look at the battle behind them.

There were three of them. Their bodies were misshapen, black splotches against the pallor of the forest. One was tall and thin with arms so long that its knuckles would have dragged on the ground had it not been swinging its arms in an attempt to smash Ichigo into the ground. The other two were smaller but broader. One was covered in spikes. The other sported an extra pair of arms. All of them had black and yellow eyes that gleamed with malice and a raw, insatiable hunger.

But the thing that really struck at the nerves, Shinichi thought just before he had to turn his attention forward again to keep from tripping, was that they all had the same face.

X

A blue white arrow flashed through the air and the latest hollow to attack Uryuu disintegrated. He watched it go with a critical eye. It wasn't right. He had already obliterated over a dozen hollows, but he could still sense that presence all around him. It didn't even fluctuate. If it weren't for the evidence of his own eyes and the fact that he could feel that his arrows were hitting home, he would have thought he was shooting at illusions.

The second strange thing he'd observed was the way the hollows always knew where he was. They had to in order to ambush him as many times as they had. If they were simply attacking as they came upon him then he should have seen some of them coming. Instead, the forest always looked deserted before a masked monster leapt at him from seemingly unoccupied branches or from behind trees that were far too thin in comparison to have hidden them without considerable planning.

His third observation was that this forest felt like part of the Soul Society. The ground, the trees, the air—all of it was thick with spirit particles.

Sensing a flare of power that he recognized as belonging to Orihime, he turned and broke out into a run.

Dry leaves slithered and crunched beneath his feet. He had sensed both Chad and Rukia earlier, but the fights must have been short because the spikes in energy level had dropped before he could reach either of them. Normally this wouldn't have been a problem for him, but the overwhelming presence of the hollows was too distracting.

Clearing a last screen of trees, he opened his mouth to call out. The words never made it out of his mouth. Instead, he threw himself to the ground as a bolt of lightning blasted past just a hand's width over his head. A moment later, something that had been behind him let out a screech.

"Sorry if I scared you," a cheerful male voice he didn't recognize said into the ensuing silence. "But rest assured, my aim is always superb."

"Indeed," the Quincy replied sourly as he got back to his feet. He brushed a few leaves from his clothes before giving the speaker a searching look. It was the taller of the two teens they'd run into at the garden. His features bore a certain similarity to those of the boy Uryuu had met first at the park, and he wondered idly if they were related. Not that it was important. He was more interested in the buzzing electric glow wreathing the stranger's right hand.

Noticing the direction of his gaze, the stranger flicked his wrist. Suddenly there were six balls of lightning spinning in the air. Uryuu tensed before he realized that the stranger was _juggling_. But why?

For his part, Kaito cast an eye over the surrounding forest to check for any signs of more monsters. When he saw none, he turned his attention to Orihime. "Orihime-san, are you all right?"

"I'm fine," she assured him. Jogging up to join him, she beamed at the sight of the bespectacled newcomer. "Uryuu! I'm so glad to see you."

He nodded and looked her over for injuries. "I'm glad to see you're unhurt."

"We've been wondering where this is. Do you know?"

"My guess would be somewhere in Soul Society."

"I was wondering. Do you think—could it be…?"

The Quincy's face darkened but he shook his head. "I don't think so. The sky's too bright." Of course, the world of the hollows might have sunny spaces somewhere, but even if it did Uryuu doubted the place would look like this.

Kaito listened with interest to the exchange, reading the expressions that flittered across the two teens' faces and committing them to memory. There was worry, relief, unease, hope, uncertainty—indeed, the slew of facial expressions said a lot more to him than their handful of ambiguous words. It made hits own thoughts turn to Shinichi. If he too had been running into monsters… His hands clenched involuntarily but he forced them open and smoothed his face into its usual unreadable cheer. They had to find him. Catching a particular snippet of the conversation, he interrupted.

"You said you can sense where the others are?"

"Yes, but the spiritual pressure of this forest creates a lot of interference here. So I suppose it would be more accurate to say that I can locate them when they are engaged in battle."

"So…we have to wait until one of the others gets attacked then try to reach them before the battle ends," the magician summarized, not at all pleased.

"Unfortunately, that does appear to be the case." He paused and his eyes narrowed slightly, swiveling towards the right. "That one's Ichigo."

X

It had been a long time since it had had so much fun. It had always been a cautious one: biding its time and building up its strength as it honed its skills in avoiding detection. Its first and only goal was to survive. That was, after all, the desire of every creature. It would hunt and eat and live to hunt again. So was the cycle of existence.

These days, however, it had found itself growing tired of creeping and skulking in shadows. Why should it not eat when and where it pleased?

Even now, it watched as those little humans and shinigami ran and fought, completely unaware of just how futile their struggle was.

It could keep them apart and watch them scurry like rats in a maze. Or perhaps it should herd them together—watch their hopes rise then fall… Yes, that sounded most entertaining.

It laughed.

The poor, poor fools.

X

Shinichi had no idea how many masked monsters had come and gone by the time they found the others. Too many, was all he could say. Everyone was breathing hard as they dropped to sit in a loose circle on the forest floor.

"I don't understand," Rukia was saying as she wiped sweat from her forehead. "We've been wandering for hours but there's just no end to this place."

"Maybe it isn't what it seems," Orihime suggested. "Maybe it's all an illusion that we're trapped inside."

As the discussion wandered on over shaky trails of speculation, Shinichi leaned against the tree trunk behind him with a sigh.

"Tired?"

He glanced up to find Kaito sitting beside him. "Yeah. I feel like I've been running marathons all day."

"I know what you mean. If we ever see Master Genkai again, remind me to give her my most heartfelt thanks. Without all that hellish grilling, I don't think we'd have made it even this far."

"You are getting pretty good at it," the detective said, recalling the rather spectacular explosion of red and blue fire Kaito had disposed one of the last monsters to attack them with. He had somehow managed to make the whole thing look effortless, like a choreographed performance. The bow he'd taken afterward helped. At the same time, seeing Kaito essentially blowing the thing up had been… He shook his head. The things were trying to eat them. It was only natural that they defend themselves. And if left alone, he knew the monsters would only go after other souls—many who wouldn't be able to defend themselves. He had to remember that.

"Of course. There's no point doing something if I'm not going to do it well. Besides, I did promise to protect you from alien seedlings."

"They're not aliens."

"Close enough."

Shinichi still didn't see the connection but decided it wasn't worth debating. "I still don't understand why I've been seeing these trees all over the city."

"About that. I asked Orihime-san earlier, and she told me she hasn't seen any of them either. In fact, I think you're the only one who has."

"That makes me feel loads better," the detective said dryly.

"Hey, it's not a bad thing. You should know by now that just because you're the only person who can see it doesn't mean it's not there. Besides, from what I heard, they've been sensing that monster from the garden all over the place. Some of the locations they mentioned match the ones you brought up."

"Really?" Letting his head fall back against the trunk, Shinichi pondered this new piece of information. Pulling up that moment at the park again, he took the tree out of the picture, and suddenly all the shadows made sense. But what did that mean? They'd sensed its presence… And that sky… He straightened abruptly, startling the magician. "They're all the same!"

His shout put an end to all the conversations buzzing about the gathering as everyone turned to stare at him.

It was Kaito who asked, "What?"

"All those trees—these trees, I think they're all the same. That's why I've seen these same trees where you guys say you've felt this creature. They're all extensions of the same entity."

"It's possible," Rukia mused. "Like different branches on the same tree."

Kon shrugged. "Okay, but so what? That's not gonna help us get out of this forest."

"Actually, it would change everything," Uryuu said slowly. "It would mean this entire place is its creation. It hasn't been hiding in the forest, it is the forest. Everything here is a part of it."

Ichigo frowned. "But what about the other hollows?"

"They all have the same face," Shinichi replied. "Mayb ethey're just like the trees."

"It still doesn't explain where we are."

"Well," Rukia began, thiking out loud. "Some hollows have the power to hide themselves by retreating into the space between the world of the living, the Soul Society, and their own world. If it found a way to grow its offshoots there but stil close enough to affect the world of the living, it could explain the places where we sensed but couldn't see it." Her gaze fell on Shinichi. "Although I don't know why you could see them then."

The detective shifted uncomfortably. "I…can just see things sometimes. I don't know why."

"I'd say the real question is why the rest of us can see them now," Kaito interjected, sensing Shinichi's discomfort. "Does this mean that creature has taken us into this space between that you were talking about?"

"It's more than that." Uryuu waved a hand to indicate the entirety of the landscape around them. "We're not talking about a single tree here and there. We're talking about this entire space."

"It's like it made its own dimension," Orihime said.

"Exactly. And that means it's only playing with us. It's making us run in circles and slowly sapping away our strength." Thoughts raced behind Uryuu's sharp eyes, connecting the dots and assembling the big picture. He didn't like the picture, but it crystallized abruptly to take on an almost jarring clarity. Why hadn't he seen it sooner? "It doesn't need to defeat us in battle. It just has to keep us here. If this entire forest is its body then it can just absorb our spirit energy. That explains why we've been tiring faster than we normally would, and why we've been having such difficulty recovering our strength."

"So the longer we're in here…" Orihime said slowly, eyes widening as the full horror of their situation sank in.

"The weaker we'll become," the Quincy finished. "However, a creation of such complexity must take a great deal of energy to maintain. It can't be easy. If we could disrupt it with a burst of equal or greater force for even a moment, we should be able to break out. Of course, if we fail, we'll have used up so much energy that we'll probably perish right here."

An uncomfortable silence wrapped itself around the group.

"We should try," Chad said, speaking up for the first time. "We don't have a choice." He didn't have to elaborate. It was true. They could try to break out and possibly fail or continue as they had been and fail for certain. Not much of a choice.

"All right then." Ichigo got to his feet, dusting a few stray leaves from his clothes. "The longer we wait, the less likely this'll work, right?"

Shinichi stood along with the rest of them, feeling awkward. What was he supposed to do? Unlike Kaito, he only knew a little about all this spirit energy business—hadn't _wanted_ to know more than he had to, in a way. Now, however, he found himself regretting it. He should have paid more attention when Kaito had been learning—or even asked the magician himself to teach him more. But he had let his own fear of changing (being changed?) get in the way, and now all he could do was watch.

He didn't know what they were doing, but he could feel the change in the air. It began to crackle and burn with steadily growing brilliance. The air grew heavy and he found himself having difficulty breathing. The very ground beneath his feet began to tremble. Sinking to his knees, he pressed himself back against a tree. His vision sparked and wavered, and he didn't know if it was from lack of oxygen or something else entirely.

All around them, the forest shuddered. Branches shook and leaves broke away to spin through the air in gusts of bone white flakes. In the distance, the horizon wavered, but it held.

It would not let go so easily.

One by one, its captives sank to the ground, their faces contorted with effort. It knew it simply had to hold on for a little longer and it would win. Only Ichigo was still on his feet. He was breathing hard, sweat running down his face, but his shoulders were set and his eyes still burning with determination.

Kaito grimaced. He'd been tired before, obviously, but this was a whole new kind of tired. It was the kind of tired when even breathing felt like hard work.

Finding Shinichi's hand, he gave it a squeeze. "We're not going to die here," he promised, though he didn't know if Shinichi was even awake to hear him. "There're still too many things we have to do."

He still had to become a world famous magician even better than his father. Hell, he could become a _worlds_ famous magician now if he wanted. The thought was rather intriguing. He'd even venture to say he'd gotten started already. And he'd never been one to give up on anything halfway. There were tricks he'd been planning that he still had to perfect. There were foods he had to try and places he had to see. He still had to introduce Shinichi to his mother and wow Shinichi's friends into becoming his erstwhile supporters! He hadn't even kissed Shinichi yet. Though he supposed that could be quickly remedied… He considered the idea then tossed it out. This was not the time or place—important things shouldn't be rushed. And there would be a right time, because they were not going to die here. Besides, he wasn't sure Shinichi was even conscious anymore, and that would ruin the point.

Gritting his teeth, Kaito pulled his feet under himself and staggered back to his feet. Holding onto the tree trunk with one hand for support while he continued to grip Shinichi's hand with the other, he closed his eyes and forced all thoughts out of his mind, focusing instead on that inner spark he'd only recently learned to use. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he thought he heard the others moving—sensed their determination and their strength.

_Just a little more_, he thought. The words repeated themselves over and over until they became a mantra in his head. He could feel the fabric of reality shaking. _Just a little more._

Prying open bleary eyes, Shinichi stared up into the canopy to the sky beyond. His breath caught in his throat. He had no idea what he was seeing. There were lines of light woven throughout the air like some enormous spider's web. Each thread pulsed as though it had a heartbeat. Even as he watched, they grew steadily brighter and thinner—

The sky shattered.

X

A shadow fell over the small clearing that had once housed the Karakura botanical garden's prized new exhibit. Now, however, all that could be seen was the unconscious figures of several young men and women. All around them, the scattered remains of a massive, white mask melted slowly into nothing.

"My, my, this is a bit of a mess, isn't it?"

X

Kaito shot bolt upright, mind going from fast asleep to wide awake so abruptly it was a physical shock. Indigo eyes took in his surroundings at a glance. He was sitting on a futon in a Japanese-style room. Another futon lay neatly folded not too far away. And there, sitting beside him with an open book in hand, was Shinichi. He relaxed, but the confusion remained. Last he remembered, they were still in that forest. How had they gotten here?

Shinichi looked up at the sound of movement. Relief washed across his face. "Kaito! How are you feeling? You've been sleeping for two days!"

Kaito stared at him. "Two days? Well, that certainly explains why I'm so hungry. Where are we anyway?"

"We're at Urahara-san's candy store. Apparently he found us all at the garden and brought us back here. Everyone was pretty exhausted, but everyone else was up by this morning. Urahara-san predicted you'd be out longer though, since you've never had to use that much energy at once before." Shinichi fell silent, blue eyes turning to a point in the distance as his shoulders hunched slightly.

Kaito frowned. He opened his mouth to ask Shinichi what was wrong, but the detective spoke before he could utter a word.

"You said you were hungry, right? There's food waiting for you in the dining room. Come on, I'll show you the way."

Indigo eyes narrowed. He recognized an evasion when he saw one, but Shinichi was sorely mistaken if he thought he could hide anything from a master thief. His stomach grumbled and he sighed. First thing first. He really needed some food. He'd even try a chocolate covered rice ball right now if he had to.

X

Urahara greeted them with a good-natured smile when they entered the dining room. He was seated at the table beside a black cat, who also turned to stare at them as they came in.

"Good afternoon," he said. "Please, have a seat. You two have a visitor."

They followed his gaze to the other side of the table.

"Aome!" Shinichi exclaimed, surprised. The blue-eyed bird looked up from her dish of water and cooed a happy greeting.

"We found her flying around our basement," the shopkeeper explained. "She seemed quite interested in the senkaimen."

"Did there happen to be any green stones there?"

"I thought you might ask. I remembered what you said about your device, so I took a look around and found this." Grinning, Urahara reached inside his coat and produced a round, green sphere. He set it carefully down on the table. Perfectly spherical, the stone's emerald depths had grown dark and now glittered with a myriad of tiny points of light like stars gleaming in a deep, green sky. In the heart of that breathtaking galaxy, a figure hung suspended. It looked vaguely like a woman, her graceful form defined by a misty nebula.

"So is this it?"

Kaito picked the sphere up and turned it over, examining it with a critical eye. Then, satisfied, he made it disappear. "Yep. I guess that means we won't have to worry about getting an apartment after all."

Urahara cleared his throat. "I understand if you're eager to be on your way, but if you're not in a rush, why not stay a few more days? A little more rest after what happened won't hurt, and I believe Orihime would be disappointed if you miss her barbeque. They were going to bring you the invitations the other day after their field trip, but as you know they never quite got around to it. In the meantime, you can tie up any loose ends you might have left. I checked out of your hotel for you and brought your birds over, but I believe you have a few other issues that need your attention as well." He gave Kaito a meaningful look, and suddenly the magician remembered that he technically still had a job.

"A few more days it is then. Though I'm afraid that means we're going to have to impose upon your hospitality after all."

"Don't mention it."

X

Tugging his jacket closer about himself, Shinichi looked up at the pale, autumn sky. He was waiting outside the restaurant Kaito had been working at and taking the moment to enjoy the fresh, evening air.

Suddenly the door behind him flew open and Kaito came bounding out, an indignant scowl stamped across his face.

"I can't believe she fired me!" he exclaimed, grabbing Shinichi and heading down the street at a brisk pace. "The nerve!"

"Well, you _were_ absent for two days without explanation," Shinichi pointed out, lengthening his stride to keep from being dragged. "Everyone told you the manager was strict. And it was your trial period."

"But I was the only person she's never screamed at before now," the thief huffed, still dissatisfied. "Some people just don't know a good thing when they see one."

Deciding it was time to change the subject, Shinichi tugged on the thief's sleeve and pointed to a bakery on the other side of the street. "I was thinking we should get a cake or something for that barbeque tomorrow. It was rather thoughtful of them to put it together for us. It's the least we can do."

"Of course, that's a great idea." Kaito's sour mood evaporated in the blink of an eye. "And that means we need to see which one tastes best first. Come on, let's eat!"

**TBC**

* * *

**Next**: An Adventure and a Half [Slayers]

**A.N**: I was originally going to have them visit Soul Society as well, but the chapter was already so long that I decided it really didn't need it. My second reason though is that there are just too many Bleach characters to introduce properly in a setup like this (to do it right, it would be a whole story all by itself I'm sure). I hope people aren't too disappointed. Next up is Slayers! It's one of my personal favorite series. ^_^ For anyone who hasn't seen it, I highly recommend season 2 (Slayers NEXT). It's the best out of the four. The fourth was frankly a bit of a disappointment. Each season is pretty much its own story so I don't think it makes much difference to watch them out of order. On a random side note, I created two crossword puzzles while motivating myself to write this chapter. One is on Kaito and Shinichi's anime encounters. The second is based on the first ten chapters of Travelers. I still have to put up the answers, but for people who're interested in that kind of thing, you can find them at:

site. (google address) / site / phantomdestinies / puzzles


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